LAS VEGAS – Northern Kentucky women's basketball won its second-consecutive game to close out the Puerto Rico Classic-Las Vegas, taking down Southern Mississippi in a 58-53 decision. It marks the first time this season that the Norse have won two games in a row, and improves NKU's record to 4-8, while the Golden Eagles drop to 8-4.
Stat Leaders
- Redshirt-senior forward Rebecca Lyttle led the way with a season-best 16 points to go with seven rebounds, three steals, and a key block in the final seconds of the contest. Lyttle was also 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
- Senior guard Kelley Wiegman had another double-digit scoring game for the Norse with 13 points, and was also impressive from the free throw line on 5-of-6 shooting.
- Redshirt-senior guard Shar'Rae Davis had a perfect game from the field, shooting 5-of-5 for 12 points. She was one of three Norse to sink two 3-pointers in the win, along with Wiegman and junior forward Kasey Uetrecht.
- Junior guard Mikayla Terry had a career game with eight assists, and also added seven rebounds and two steals.
First Half Summary
- NKU won both quarters for the first time against a Division I opponent this season, outscoring the Golden Eagles 13-8 in the first and 14-9 in the second.
- The Norse shot 39.1 percent as a team and held Southern Miss, a team that is shooting .420 on the season, to 26.1 percent from the field.
- Davis, Lyttle and Uetrecht all scored six points to lead the scoring effort, while Lyttle also led on the boards with four rebounds. Davis' six points came from a perfect 2-of-2 showing from 3-point range.
- Terry had already surpassed her career best in assists by the close of the first 20 minutes, dishing out six helpers.
- All nine of NKU's field goals in the half were assisted.
- The Norse committed 11 errors, but also forced Southern Miss into 16 miscues and a .25 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Second Half Summary
- Lyttle had 10 points in the second half, including the final two made free throws that sealed the victory with 17 seconds remaining. Wiegman also came up with two clutch charity shots in the final half minute of action to extend the NKU lead.
- Wiegman added seven points in the half, while Davis had another flawless performance with six points, this time going 3-of-3 from inside the arc.
- NKU shot 47.6 percent in the half, but the Golden Eagles closed in and took the lead with under five minutes to go, shooting 38.9 percent in the second half, before the Norse pulled away for the final win.
Norse Notes
- The meeting with Southern Miss was the first in program history.
- This season, NKU has won all three games in which the team has led at the half.
- The Norse shot 43.2 percent for the game and drilled seven 3-pointers. The Golden Eagles were held to 33.9 percent from the field, the second-lowest of the season for Southern Miss behind only a .323 clip against RV/No. 20 California.
- Southern Miss' Brittanny Dinkins, who averaged 17.1 ppg entering the contest, was held to just three points.
- USM had the edge down low with 30 points in the paint compared to 16 for the Norse, and outrebounded NKU 35-29.
- NKU had another strong showing at the free throw line, going 13-of-16 for 81.3 percent.
Up Next
- With the nonconference portion of the schedule having come to a close, the Norse enter Horizon League play following the holiday break. NKU heads to Wisconsin to take on defending League champion Green Bay on Dec. 29 before heading south to Milwaukee for a New Year's Eve tussle with Milwaukee.
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