HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — The Wright State women's basketball program fell to Northern Kentucky 73-50 in its return to Horizon League competition on Wednesday night inside the Truist Arena. 

Wright State (1-12, 0-3 HL) had two players score in double figures, led by Bryce Nixon with 11 points in 23 minutes of action. Kacee Baumhower totaled 10 points and four rebounds, while Emily Chapman finished with nine points and five rebounds. Cara VanKempen recorded a season-high six rebounds in addition to a team-leading two blocks. 

The Raiders shot a season-low 30 percent (19-of-62) from the floor but found success with an 8-of-21 (38%) mark on 3-pointers. Isabelle Bolender, Nixon, and Baumhower tallied multiple threes to pace WSU from beyond the arc. 

Wright State turned nine NKU turnovers into 14 points while only giving the ball away eight times on its end. The Raiders also edged the Norse in blocks, 3-2. 

Northern Kentucky (8-4, 2-1 HL) finished with a 47% (29-of-61) shooting percentage en route to its fifth win in a row. The host team scored 50 of their 73 points in the paint and outrebounded WSU 53-29. 

NKU's Lindsey Duvall, the Horizon League's leading scorer and rebounder, finished with a game-high 25 points and 13 rebounds. Ivy Turner contributed with 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

Wright State led 15-13 after the first quarter, shooting 5-of-10 overall and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Nixon paced the early charge with a pair of 3-pointers, while Baumhower contributed with five points. VanKempen was impressive down low in the period with a pair of blocks, matching her season-high in the category. 

A layup by Chapman pushed WSU's advantage to 19-15 at the 7:56 minute mark of the second quarter. However, NKU responded with a 20-3 scoring run to close the period, resulting in a 35-22 halftime deficit for Wright State. Miller was the lone Raider to score in the span, as she netted a reserve layup and one free throw. In the second quarter, Nixon was limited to just four minutes due to foul trouble. 

WSU was held to a 17% (3-of-17) shooting clip in the quarter, which included no makes on six 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, NKU finished with 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting and a 4-of-4 mark from the charity stripe. 

Northern Kentucky continued to hold the momentum coming out of the break, extending its lead to 48-26 at the 6:15 minute mark of the third quarter. The Raiders battled back with consecutive 3-pointers by Baumhower and Bolender to reduce their deficit to 48-32 with 3:14 to go in the quarter. The Norse finished the quarter on a 6-0 run to push their lead back to 20-plus points, 56-35. 

WSU relied on its 3-point shooting in the third quarter, with three of its five total makes transpiring from beyond the arc. Overall, Wright State shot 5-of-21 (23.8%) over the 10 minutes. 

NKU prevented a late rally by outscoring the Raiders 17-15 in the fourth quarter. Nixon scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting in the final period, while Lauren Scott added two assists.

The Raiders will remain on the road for a conference matchup at IUPUI on Sunday, January 1.