NKU WBB defeats Robert Morris again; NKU MBB falls to Kent State

The Northern Kentucky women’s basketball team defeated the Robert Morris Colonials for the second straight game on Sunday afternoon, capping a two-game weekend sweep with the 62-50 victory. With the victory, the Norse improved to 2-4 overall, and 2-0 in Horizon League competition.

Sophomore guard Ivy Turner led the Norse in scoring with 18 points, while also adding six rebounds and three assists. Redshirt junior guard Lindsey Duvall had 12 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Grayson Rose had 11 points and six rebounds, while senior forward Kailey Coffey grabbed eight rebounds.

“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Turner said. “I got pretty hot from the three-point line, so I just continued to shoot with confidence and the ball was going in for me.”

Sunday’s game had a similar tone to Saturday afternoon’s contest, as the two teams remained close in the first quarter, albeit with slightly more offense, but the Norse used a breakthrough second quarter to take a double-digit lead into halftime at 37-23. The Norse looked much better shooting the ball on Sunday, with a field goal percentage of 50 percent in the first half, boosted by Grayson Rose’s 11 first half points.

“We really teach inside-out shots, penetrate-and-kick, playing together and extra passes,” Head Coach Camryn Whitaker said. “I think that those things all add up to having a better percentage.”

As has been typical so far in the 2020-21 season, the Norse collected significantly more rebounds than their opponent, grabbing 43 boards compared to RMU’s 19. Perhaps making that differential even more impressive is despite the physicality that the Norse displayed on the glass, the Colonials attempted just six free throws in the contest. The Norse also had 15 offensive rebounds, compared to just five for RMU.

“When we get offensive rebounds, we can put it back up and possibly get a foul, and that’s where most of our points come from, on offensive rebounds,” Turner said.

After struggling with turnovers and failing to post a double-digit scoring effort in four consecutive games, junior guard Ally Niece bounced back on Sunday with 10 points, four assists and three rebounds. According to Whitaker, having Niece perform at a high level is paramount to the success of the Norse.

“A lot of the time, and this is proven over the last two years, we go as Ally goes,” Whitaker said. “When she’s feeling good, and she’s getting some assists and knocking down some shots, it seems like our team just plays a little bit better.”

MBB struggles defensively, loses to Kent State 92-73

The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team made the trip down to Kent State on Sunday afternoon, where they suffered a 92-73 defeat. Since beginning the season 2-0, the Norse have now dropped three straight to head into Horizon League play with a losing record at 2-3. 

Junior guard Trevon Faulkner led the Norse with a season-high 28 points on Sunday afternoon, shooting 50 percent from the floor, and 7-8 from the free-throw line. Freshman forward David Bӧhm was second on the team with 19 points. Junior forward Adrian Nelson grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds.

The Golden Flashes of Kent State simply outclassed the Norse on the offensive end, shooting an impressive 55 percent from the field, while knocking down 11 three-pointers. Conversely, the Norse shot just 23.3 percent from three-point range.

The WBB team will be in action again next Saturday and Sunday for a two-game series against Purdue Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The MBB team will begin their Horizon League schedule next Saturday and Sunday with a two-game series against Youngstown State at BB&T Arena. Sunday’s MBB game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU, tipping off at 3:00 p.m.