The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team put away the UC Clermont Cougars Wednesday night 81-41 and collected their first win of the season in their home

Sophomore forward Sadie Bowling led the way for the lady Norse with 19 points, knocking down two 3-pointers and shooting a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line.  She also grabbed seven rebounds and her defensive efforts led to four steals.

“I felt good about my shot during practice and I got to show what I could do tonight,” Bowling said.  “I’m glad I was able to contribute tonight.”

Sophomore guard Casse Mogan also posted an impressive double-double performance that included 15 points and 12 rebounds in her 23 minutes of play.

Coach Winstel said that both Bowling and Mogan have the ability to do great things for this team.  With a roster that is made up of a number of other underclassmen, Winstel said they all have to be ready to play at a high level every night.

“We came out ragged in the first half, then played better in the second half, lagged again, and then finished strong,” coach Winstel said.  “I felt like Casse and Sadie gave us a spark for the game – and as underclassmen we need them to play well.  We can’t place all the pressure on Rachel and Brandi.”

NKU shot out to an early 20-8 lead within the first 12 minutes of the first half and never looked back.  They led at halftime 33-19 and continued to pull away in the second half en route to their 40 point victory.

The Norse disrupted UC Clermont’s offense throughout the game with their strong defensive pressure, forcing 25 turnovers and limiting them to a 25 percent team field goal percentage for the game.  The Cougars went 0-10 from behind the arc.

The Norse saw plenty of open looks in their offense and their good ball movement created easy opportunities to score. They outhustled the Cougars, outrebounding them by 20 and compiling 12 team steals.  The black and gold did struggle with consistency and composure, though, committing 17 turnovers and 22 fouls for the game.

NKU will host Kentucky State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 21 in the Bank of Kentucky Center.