NKU women’s basketball defeats Oakland Golden Grizzlies 74-63. This win moves NKU to 10-17 on the season and 9-8 in the Horizon League. The Grizzlies fall 6-22 in the season and 3-14 in the conference.

Freshman point guard Ally Niece led the charge with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Freshman forward/center Emmy Souder scored 14 points, sinking 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Redshirt junior Molly Glick contributed 11 points and 7 rebounds. Sophomore forward Kailey Coffey rounded out the Norse in double digits with 10 points and led in rebounds with 9.

The first quarter of the game saw the Golden Grizzlies coming off hot as they shot a 56.3 percent from the field.  The Norse fought back against them into the second quarter as they outscored them 20-15 holding the Grizzlies scoring percentage at 37.5 percent.

The Norse worked hard to tie the score in the second quarter and gained it after back-to-back three pointers from Souder. This helped the Norse take the lead 38-36.

For the first half Niece led the scoring for the half with eight points.  Coffey added six points, six rebounds and four assists to finish out the first half.

The Golden Grizzlies came back to start the second half and went on a 9-2 run that resulted in a 45-40 point lead over the Norse. The third quarter came to an end with the Golden Grizzlies one point ahead of the Norse, 53-52.

Mirroring the first half, the Norse picked it up in the final quarter as they shot a 50 percent and managed to keep the Golden Grizzlies at 23.5 percent.  

Freshman point guard Taylor Clos came in clutch during the last 1:17 of the game with a corner triple that gave the Norse a 67-63 lead.  The Norse defense continued to make an impact on the Grizzlies and drew in several fouls which allowed Clos, Coffey and Niece to seal the Norse victory at the free-throw line, 74-63.

The Norse finish out their final regular season match on Saturday, March 2 at Detroit Mercy.  Tip-off is scheduled to start at 1pm and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.