Top-seeded Green Bay women rally in second half to defeat NKU, 62-49, in Horizon League Tournament

NKyTribune staff

A 17-5 run to begin the second half keyed top-seeded Green Bay’s 62-49 victory over Northern Kentucky University on Saturday in the Horizon League Tournament women’s basketball quarterfinals in Detroit.

Eighth-seeded NKU owned a 27-24 halftime lead after draining five 3-pointers during the opening 20 minutes, including two each from Grayson Rose and Taryn Taugher. In addition, Green Bay struggled mightily from the free-throw line in the first half, missing all six of its attempts. On the other side, the Norse were 6-for-6 at the stripe.

But Green Bay (27-3) began the third quarter sizzling from the field. All-Horizon League standout Jessica Lindstrom drilled a pair of 3-pointers. Karly Murphy converted twice from the inside, and Allie LeClaire scored a quick seven points. The 17-5 Green Bay run flipped the scoreboard, giving the top seed its biggest lead of the game at 41-32.

“We might have been a little lackadaisical with the ball in the first half,” said Lindstrom. “But we realized in the locker room that we need to get it together, there is one half left, so we came out and were really focused.”

The Norse made a push to begin the final stanza with sophomore Molly Glick sinking two shots from beyond the arc. But Green Bay’s All-Horizon League duo of Lindstrom and LeClaire was simply too much to overcome.

Lindstrom sank her third 3-pointer of the half, and LeClaire scored five in a row. Green Bay had expanded what was just a three-point advantage back out to 11 at 56-45.

Green Bay’s trademark defensive rebounding prowess was on full display, holding the Norse to zero second-chance points for the game.

“Last night, [NKU] had 53 rebounds and 24 of them were offensive,” Green Bay head coach Kevin Borseth said. “People don’t realize how big Northern Kentucky is. Every kid on the court is about 6-foot or 6-1. But a big part of our rebounding is Jessica Lindstrom. She’s as good a player, if not the best player in this league, in my opinion.”

Glick led NKU (9-22 overall record) with 16 points. Norse freshman standout Kailey Coffey finished with 11 points and six rebounds. NKU senior Mikayla Terry ended her collegiate career with six points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Rose added six points and 10 rebounds.

LeClaire finished with a game-high 21 points for Green Bay, which is ranked No. 21 nationally. Lindstrom registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year Jen Wellnitz helped limit NKU to just 33 percent shooting on the afternoon.

Despite the hard-fought loss, NKU head coach Camryn Whitaker was thrilled with her team’s tournament experience in Detroit.

“I can’t say enough about the facility here and the treatment we’ve had,” Whitaker said. “It’s really remarkable here and everything is first class. I told our players before the game yesterday, ‘Nobody in the country is getting to play in this type of facility.’”