Horizon League Hoops Features Key Matchup With 'Dons and Norse

Saturday, January 24

Highland Heights, Ky.

1 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

Northern Kentucky

Jordan Reid

Photo by: Josh Gales

Horizon League Hoops Features Key Matchup With 'Dons and Norse

1/23/2026 1:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - With both teams vying for a Horizon League Championship bye, the Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball team will visit Northern Kentucky on Saturday (Jan. 24). The game will tip at 1 p.m., five hours earlier than originally scheduled to avoid incoming winter weather.

Game Day Information
Who: Northern Kentucky Norse
When: Saturday, January 24 | 1 PM
Where: Highland Heights, Ky. | Truist Arena
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Northern Kentucky | Horizon League

Know Your Foe
Northern Kentucky is 10-12 and 7-4 in Horizon League play. NKU's overtime win over the Mastodons on December 29 sparked a seven-game win streak, but it was snapped in the last outing at IU Indy. Over the last eight games, freshman Karina Bystry is leading the team with 17.3 points per game. Fellow freshman Maddie Moody is averaging 12.1 points and 8.9 boards in that stretch.

Series History
Northern Kentucky leads the series 35-13. The Norse won the last game 88-85 in overtime in Fort Wayne earlier this season, but prior to that, the Mastodons had won five in a row. Alana Nelson had 21 points in the last meeting.

A Win Would...
• Give the Mastodons their third win in a row in Highland Heights
• Be the Mastodons' fourth win away from home and third true road win
• Give Purdue Fort Wayne a 14-35 all-time record against the Norse
• Give Maria Marchesano her 54th Horizon League win and 86th win as Mastodon head coach

Lucky 7!
Purdue Fort Wayne hit its first seven shots in its win over Cleveland State. The Mastodons finished the first quarter of that game at 10-of-15 (66.7 percent).

50-50 Chance
The Mastodons have shot over 50 percent in four games this season. This ties for the fifth-most games in a season shooting 50 percent or more in the program's Division I history. The 'Dons shot over 50 percent in 11 games in 2010-11, 10 games in 2013-14, eight games in 2024-25 and five games in 2023-24.

Freshmen Shooters
In Horizon League play, freshmen Avery Wagner (3-of-7, 42.9 percent), Rylee Bess (21-of-54, 38.9 percent) and Destiny Macharia (10-of-26, 38.5 percent) are leading the team in 3-point percentage regardless of attempts.

It's Just Destiny
After going 6-for-25 (24 percent) from 3-point range in the first 13 games of the season, Destiny Macharia has shot 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) from deep since.

3-Point Threat
Rylee Bess has the second-best season-long 3-point percentage by a freshman in program history. Her mark of 41.0 percent (41-of-100) is only bested by Jordan Zuppe (2007-08), who shot 43.3 percent (74-of-171) in her freshman season. Bess' 41.0 percent is the seventh-best percentage by any player in the Mastodon Division I era and just outside the top-10 all-time.

3-Point Threat x2
Rylee Bess' 41.0 3-point percentage is the third-best by any freshman in the country this season. Ella Ryan of Quinnipiac (43.3 percent) and Lena Girardi of Oklahoma State (42.3 percent) are the only two freshman with a better mark. Bess is 37th nationally among all players.

At Her Bess(t)
Over the last five games, Rylee Bess is averaging 13.6 points per game, shooting 51.1 percent from the floor and 47.2 percent from the 3-point line. She has scored in double-figures in each of those five games.

Triple Trouble
Purdue Fort Wayne has had the top 3-point shooter in the Horizon League in each of the last three seasons.
2025-26 - Alana Nelson - 41.3 percent
2024-25 - Lauren Ross - 47.6 percent
2023-24 - Shayla Sellers - 40.2 percent

Marchesano Mania
Maria Marchesano owns 53 Horizon League wins as the Mastodon head coach. She was the fastest to reach 50 league wins in program history. She needs three more to break into the top-20 in HL wins in league history.

More Maria Madness
Maria Marchesano's 58.9 winning percentage (53-37) in Horizon League contests ranks 13th in league history with a minimum of three seasons. Cleveland State's Chris Kielsmeier is the only active coach with a better mark.

Chasing 2,000
Jordan Reid needs 149 points to reach 2,000 in her career between Purdue Fort Wayne and Indiana Wesleyan.

League Leader
Alana Nelson leads the Horizon League this season in points (341), points per game (17.1), field goals (123), 3-point field goals (45), 3-point percentage (41.3) and minutes per game (34.8). She also leads the league in scoring in league games at 18.5 points per game.

Career Points Tracker
Let's take a look at the career scoring numbers for the three former NAIA All-Americans on the roster regardless of level.
Alana Nelson - 2,610 (482 at Northwood, 1,787 at Spring Arbor, 341 at PFW)
Jordan Reid - 1,851 (1,395 at Indiana Wesleyan, 456 at PFW)
Lauren Lee - 1,709 (1,630 at Campbellsville, 79 at PFW)

Vetting Krasovec
Lili Krasovec has 24 free throw makes on her last 29 trips to the charity stripe (82.8 percent) dating back to December 7.

Lili Love
Lili Krasovec has scored in double-digits 11 times this season after doing so just twice at Boston College. She scored a career-high 19 points against Northern Kentucky (Dec. 29) after going 7-of-11 from the floor.

Lock In Lili
Lili Krasovec has scored 15+ points six times this season. In those games, she was a combined 34-for-54 (62.9 percent) from the floor and 23-of-26 (88.5 percent) from the free throw line.

Wicked Wagner
On limited attempts off the bench, the 6-foot-4 Avery Wagner is shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range (6-of-16).

3-Ball Fun
The Mastodons are 4-1 this season when they hit 10 or more 3-pointers this season. Under Maria Marchesano's leadership, the 'Dons have had 54 such games with a 42-12 record in those games.

Look at Lee!
Through 10 Horizon League games, Lauren Lee is second in the HL with 4.3 assists per game. She also has a 2.5 assist to turnover ratio, a league-best.

I'll Take That
Jordan Reid is averaging 2.4 steals per game, which ranks second in the Horizon League and top-85 nationally. If that average holds for a season-long mark, it would be second-best in the program's Division I era and sixth-best overall.

Inside The Arc? Guaranteed Bucket
Lili Krasovec is shooting 61.0 percent from the floor this season (83-for-136), which ranks first in Mastodon history for a single season, topping Jazzlyn Linbo's 58.3 from last year.

Home Sweet Gates
Purdue Fort Wayne is 51-22 (69.9 percent) at home under head coach Maria Marchesano and 36-7 (83.7 percent) over the last three seasons.

Magic Numbers 70 and 80
Under head coach Maria Marchesano, the Mastodons are 57-9 when they score 70 points or more and 27-3 when they hit 80.

Bench Mob
Purdue Fort Wayne's bench is out-scoring its opponents' benches 426-312 this season. The Mastodon bench led in bench points in 15 of its 20 games.

Last Time Out
The Mastodons went wire-to-wire in an 80-70 victory over Cleveland State for their first win over the Vikings in Fort Wayne. Alana Nelson led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

Next Time Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will return home for a revenge matchup with Robert Morris on Tuesday (Jan. 27). RMU won the game in Moon Township 74-64 earlier this season.

~ Feel the Rumble ~