Raiders return to conference play at Northern Kentucky

Wednesday, December 28

Highland Heights, KY

7 PM

Wright State University

Northern Kentucky

Photo by: Rebecca Pollock

Raiders return to conference play at Northern Kentucky

12/26/2022 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

DAYTON — The Wright State women's basketball program returns to Horizon League play on Wednesday, December 28, at Northern Kentucky. The conference contest will commence at 7 p.m. inside Truist Arena and broadcast live on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available.

GAME INFORMATION
Wednesday, December 28 - 7 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats - WSU Game Notes

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders are coming off a 66-54 loss against Eastern Michigan in the Hawk Classic last Wednesday, increasing their losing streak to nine games. Wright State shot 38 percent (22-of-57) from the field and 33.3% (10-of-30) from outside the arc but was held to no free throws for the first time this season. WSU forced a season-high 23 turnovers defensively, including nine by way of steal.

Bryce Nixon scored a team-leading 15 points in addition to two assists and two steals. Cara VanKempen had a season-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and a 3-of-4 clip on 3-pointers. Makiya Miller tallied seven points, two rebounds, and two steals, while Taylor Johnson-Matthews chipped in with team-high marks in rebounds (4) and blocks (1).

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Makiya Miller collected Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors after averaging 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals over two games at the Hawk Classic in Philadelphia, Pa. Through 12 games, Miller leads WSU freshmen in scoring (7.7 ppg), assists per game (2.0), and minutes per game (24.8). She scored in double figures in her opening three games as a Raider, becoming the first freshman player in the last 17 seasons to do so.

SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky has gone 7-4 overall and 1-1 against Horizon League opponents. The Norse are in the midst of a four-game winning streak, highlighted by a 72-52 victory over Cincinnati at home. NKU opened conference play with a 59-55 loss against League favorite Youngstown State but rebounded with a 69-54 win versus Robert Morris.

Graduate guard Lindsey Duvall has proven to be one of the top players in the HL, as she leads the conference in scoring (19.0 ppg), rebounding (10.0 rpg), double-doubles (7), free throw makes (56), and minutes per game (37.6). Kailee Davis ranks second on the team in scoring (14.6 ppg) in addition to a conference-best 4.4 assists per game. NKU has scored 72.6 points per game, good for the second-highest mark in the HL.

HISTORY VS. NKU
WSU leads the all-time series 15-14. NKU held the edge at the start of the series, going 12-1 against the Raiders from 1982 to 1987. Following a 25-year hiatus, WSU won 14 in a row over the Norse. However, the winning streak ended last season, with Northern Kentucky earning a pair of victories over Wright State. Channing Chappell scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting in last year's home matchup versus the Norse (1/22).

HOT FROM DEEP
Bryce Nixon is shooting 47.6% (30-of-63) from 3-point range, which ranks first in the Horizon League and 22nd nationally. The senior guard has knocked down a team-leading 30 threes, averaging 2.50 per game. Nixon leads the team in scoring (11.9 ppg), highlighted by a 20-point performance at Eastern Illinois (11/28) and a career-best 24 points versus Southern Indiana (12/17).

FINDING A GROOVE
Cara VanKempen averaged 10.0 points on 58.3% (7-of-12) shooting and a 62.5% (5-of-8) clip on 3-pointers at last week's Hawk Classic. The senior forward recorded season-high marks in points (11) and 3-point makes (3) in WSU's matchup against EMU (12/21). VanKempen was averaging 3.6 points per game and had only made one 3-pointer entering the tournament.

SHOWING OFF RANGE
The Raiders rank 19th in the country and second in the HL with 8.8 3-pointers per game. Wright State made a season-high 12 treys on 29 attempts at EIU (11/28) and has netted double-figure 3-pointers on five occasions. To date, WSU is the conference's lone school with five-plus 3-pointers in every game this season.

CHAP AT HER BEST
Emily Chapman has proven to be a threat in her first year with the Raiders, as she ranks second on the team in rebounding (3.4 rpg) and 3-point percentage (41.7%), third in assists (1.6 apg), and fourth in scoring (7.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (44.4%). The Proctorville, Ohio native poured in a season-best 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting at Tennessee (12/11), scored 15 points at Eastern Illinois (11/28), and added a 14-point performance against Bowling Green (11/14). The 5-5 senior guard has been WSU's leading rebounder in three games.

EARLY TESTS
All 11 Division I opponents Wright State has faced this season boast winning records, which include seven programs with three or fewer losses. WSU squared off against a pair of teams that reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season in Ohio State and Tennessee during the non-conference portion of its schedule.

NEW-LOOK RAIDERS
This year's women's basketball roster features 12 newcomers, including five upperclassmen transfers and seven freshmen.

UP NEXT
Wright State will open 2023 on New Year's Day at IUPUI. The Horizon League matchup will start at 2 p.m. in Indianapolis.