Box Score

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Junior Whitney Long poured in 23 points, including three key 3-pointers in the second half, in a 60-50 win over Houston Baptist Friday afternoon at the Comfort Inn & Suites Classic at Ellis T. Johnson Arena at Morehead State.

Long hit 9-of-17 shots, including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line, for the second-highest point total of her career in helping NSU move to 2-0 on the season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign. Houston Baptist fell to 0-3 on the year.

Sophomore Batavia Owens totaled 11 points with six rebounds, while freshman Rae Corbo provided a huge spark offensively and defensively in the second half. The Englewood, N.J., native had 10 points, eight in the second half, with game highs of five assists and four steals.

NSU's defensive effort forced 23 turnovers to just 16 for the Spartans, with NSU posting a 13-5 advantage in steals. NSU converted those turnovers into 30 points. After some early-game struggles, the Spartans took control of the boards, outrebounding the Huskies, 42-32.

The teams were nearly even on the floor, with NSU shooting 41.1 percent and HBU hitting 41.9 percent. NSU could not convert from the charity stripe, though, as the Spartans hit just 9-of-24 from the free throw line (37.5 percent), compared to 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) for the Huskies.

HBU was led by Destini Texada with 13 points, while Brittany Barton added 11. Ernesta Griciunaite had a game-high 12 rebounds and added six points.

Long and Owens provided most of the offense in the first half, scoring 19 of the team's 25 points in the first stanza. Long put NSU on the board first off the opening tip with a quick steal and fastbreak layup before Houston Baptist could even get the ball deep into its zone.

The Spartans struggled, though, for the next seven minutes before freshman Destiny Spence closed the gap to 5-4 with her first collegiate points on a layup down low with 12:47 to go. Corbo found Long wide open under the basket for a 6-5 lead, then stole the ball at midcourt and went in for two just 15 seconds later with 11 minutes left in the half to extend the lead to 8-5.

The Spartans kept HBU scoreless for nearly six minutes until Texada got the Huskies back on the board with 9:24 left. That basket started a short 6-1 run for the Huskies that tied the score at 11-11 with 7:59 left, but Long drained a pair of 3-pointers to get the lead up to six at 17-11 with 6:07 to go.

Freshman Carlon Chambers pushed NSU's advantage to its biggest of the half at seven, 21-14, with four and a half minutes to go, but the Huskies closed the half with a 10-4 run as NSU went into the break up, 25-24. Long and Owens tallied 10 and nine points, respectively, in that first stanza.

Freshman Recca Trice found Long streaking up court to cut the deficit to one at 30-29 with 18:13 to go in the second half, but Texada's three-point play with 17:53 showing on the clock made it 33-29 HBU, the Huskies' largest lead of the game.

Corbo snagged an offensive rebound and proceeded to hit a jumper from the middle of the paint to shrink the deficit to one, 33-32. She later got the ball up the court to Long, who went in for the fastbreak to get NSU the lead back for good at 36-35.

In the span of just over a minute, Corbo sank two more baskets and again had a keen eye as she found junior Tyisha Bridges in stride for the quick fastbreak lay-in with 12:03 left for a five point lead, 42-37.

Then, just 25 seconds later, Corbo continued to put on a show, grabbing a steal in the NSU end and quickly going in for her own fastbreak layup to make it 44-40. That basket began a 13-2 run for the Spartans.

Long then took over the game and got the lead into double-digits during that run, hitting a trio of 3-pointers in just under three minutes, the last one from Bridges that gave NSU a 55-42 lead with 6:27 left.

Spence made a strong move down low for the lay-in and a 59-46 lead with 2:03 to go, the only field goal either team made in the last six minutes of play. The Huskies were unable to get the deficit into single digits the rest of the way as NSU went on to win, 60-50.

The Spartans will take on Central Arkansas Saturday at 5 p.m. in the second day of the tournament.