As a mid-major and heading on the road shorthanded against a Power 5 conference team isn’t ideal.
The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team did just that on Wednesday and came back home with a 74-52 road loss to Illinois.
Some bright spots for the Norse included making all 17 free throws while Macey Blevins poured in 24 points and Khamari Mitchell-Steen added 16. They also got Madison French back from injury, playing 18 minutes. Illinois held freshman Carter McCray to just two points, but she grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
NKU (1-6) has lost four in a row.
Illinois put up 20 more shots than Northern Kentucky, shooting 40% from the field compared to 31% for the Norse. A 17-4 rebounding edge on the offensive glass was the culprit of that.
Ten different players scored for Illinois (5-2). Brynn Shoup-Hill scored 15 for the Fighting Illini and Makira Cook added 13.
The Norse host to Kentucky State (6-1) on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.