Highland Heights, Ky. – A furious late rally saw Stetson cut a 27-point second-half deficit down to four with a minute to play, but Northern Kentucky held on for a 68-62 victory Thursday night at the Bank of Kentucky Center.

Myeisha Hall led four players in double figures with 17 points, but the Hatters (15-5, 4-2 A-Sun) saw their four-game win streak snapped. 

"I am glad we didn't lay down and die, we did fight, but we dug ourselves such a hole, so that's disappointing,” Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said.  “To their credit, (the Norse) had a good game plan and they deserved to win.  They played better and they played harder for 40 minutes.  They are very good (at home), and you have to be ready."

The Norse (13-8, 4-2) took advantage of an uncharacteristically poor first half by the Hatters.  Stetson managed just six field goals in the opening 20 minutes and trailed 37-19 at the break.  NKU hit six of their nine 3-pointers in the first half and shot 43 percent from the floor.

“I was very disappointed in our defense,” Bria said.  “As well as we played in our last game, we played just as bad in the first half on both ends.  We didn't guard them, and we didn't score.  You can't do that against a team like NKU.  They are good, they are balanced, and you have to guard them.”

The Norse hit three more 3-pointers to open the second half and built a 48-21 lead with 16:48 to play.  However, the Hatters implemented a full court press and started chipping away at the lead.  An 11-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes saw Stetson cut its deficit to 16.

NKU still led by 18 with under nine minutes to play when the Hatters made their second run.  Brianti Saunders hit a 3-pointer, Hall connected on back-to-back field goals, and Jama Sharp turned a steal into a fastbreak lay-up to pull Stetson to within eight at 56-48.

The Norse led by 10 when Hall hit a 3-pointer out of the corner, then on the next possession stole a pass by NKU and fed Aisha Turner for a fastbreak lay-up to pull Stetson to within five at the 4:27 mark.

C.J. Coddington's lay-up with 1:06 to play closed the gap to just 64-60.  The Hatters then thought they had a crucial turnover with 58 seconds to play, but after a video review, the ball remained in NKU's possession and Stetson would pull no closer.

Saunders scored 16 points, Amber Porter notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Sharp added 12 points as well.

Christine Roush and Melody Doss each scored 24 points to lead the Norse.

Stetson will visit Lipscomb at 5 p.m. Saturday.