RICHMOND, Ky. – EKU women's basketball improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2012 with an 86-75 win over in-state foe Northern Kentucky on Saturday evening at Baptist Health Arena.
Saturday's win was the first win for EKU over Northern Kentucky since 2019. EKU has won its last three over the Norse inside Alumni Coliseum dating back to 1983.
Senior guard
Alice Recanati led all scorers with 28 points and went 13-of-15 from the free throw line. The Bergamo, Italy product also chipped in six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Her 28 points were the most of her career.
Following Recanati, graduate guard
Ivy Turner dropped 23 points while dishing out eight assists in her return against her former team. In four seasons with NKU, Turner scored 1,238 points and was a three-time All-Horizon League performer.
For the third consecutive game forward
Sierra McCullough found herself with double-figure rebounds, bringing down a career-high 16 rebounds. Entering play against NKU she was top 10 in the NCAA in boards, following Saturday's performance she is up to 40 on the season and 13.3 per game.
Guard
Brie Crittendon was the third Colonel in double-figure scoring for her second straight game, totaling 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting.
NKU and EKU traded baskets in the in-state battle for the first four minutes of the first quarter. A made layup by Recanati and a three-pointer for Turner in consecutive trips down the floor extended the Colonels' lead to four at the media timeout. Another made three from
Althea Kara Angeles and four EKU free throws brought an end to the frame with a two-point 24-22 Colonel lead.
A Turner jumper opened the second quarter and the Colonels never trailed again in the remainder of the contest. Made layups by McCullough, Turner, and a three from Recanati extended EKU's lead to 12 arriving at the media timeout. A four-point swing from Recanati pushed the Colonels to their lead to 14.
Recanati converted EKU's final two buckets of the first half to send both teams to the locker room with a 47-34 advantage.
Turner continued her scoring barrage into the second half extending EKU's lead to 16 with a made floater. The Colonels ended the third quarter on a 13-5 run as more student-athletes became involved in the offense.
Jumpers from Crittendon and Angeles pushed EKU to its largest lead of the game (19) twice and the Colonels secured their third straight win to open the season over its regional rival.
EKU went 26-of-34 from the free-throw line and out-rebounded NKU by a wide 43-36 total. The Colonels forced NKU into 19 turnovers.
The Colonels will hit the road for their next three games, beginning with Evansville on Wednesday, Nov. 15 before departing for the 2023 Great Alaska Shootout with scheduled games against UAB and a to-be-determined game against No. 5 Utah or host school Alaska Anchorage.
