Box Score

MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Norfolk State women's basketball team dropped its first game of the season, 75-60, to Morehead State Sunday afternoon in the Comfort Inn & Suites Classic at Ellis T. Johnson Arena at Morehead State.

In a matchup of a pair of teams that went 2-0 in the first two days of the tournament, the Spartans struggled with the Eagles' full-court pressure defense in dropping their first game of the season.

NSU (3-1) was led by sophomore Batavia Owens with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Marian Brooks and senior Genor Dalton added nine each. Sophomore Recca Trice and freshman Rae Corbo tallied seven and six assists, respectively.

The Spartans could not contain the Eagles' Ashar Harris, who knocked down 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting with 13 rebounds, seven steals and five assists. Channing Hillman totaled 15 points and six assists, and Courtney Lumpkin added seven points and six assists as the Eagles improved to 3-2.

NSU shot well, hitting 44.6 percent from the floor, including 17-of-31 (54.8 percent) in the second half after the Eagles took a 37-19 lead into the break. Morehead State hit 43.3 percent, including just 5-of-26 (19.2 percent) from the 3-point line.

For the fourth times in four games this season, NSU had the edge in rebounding, posting a 40-38 advantage over Morehead State.

NSU attempted just three 3-pointers on the afternoon, and was 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) from the foul line. Morehead State did not fare much better, hitting 57.1 percent on 12-of-21 shooting.

The Eagles jumped out to a 10-4 lead into the first media timeout, and NSU was able to cut it to five at 13-8 with 14:23 showing when Trice drove toward the baseline and found freshman Carlon Chambers open for the easy two. A 9-0 run by Morehead State that lasted more than six and a half minutes was stopped when Dalton drained a 3-pointer with 7:46 to go.

Trice got the ball to a streaking Owens under the basket at the 6:56 mark, then found her down low again on the inbounds pass 40 seconds later to cut the deficit to 10, 27-17. The Eagles, though, used a 10-2 run to end the half and go up, 37-19, into the break, as Harris scored 14 of her 30 points in the first stanza.

An big 11-3 run for the Spartans to start the second half cut the deficit to 10 at 40-30, with Owens providing five key points during that stretch. Morehead State got the lead to 16 at 48-32, but back-to-back fastbreaks by Corbo and junior Tyisha Bridges made it 50-37 with 11:48 left.

Owens scored six of the Spartans' next eight points – she had 11 all-together in the second half – but NSU was unable to get the deficit down below 12. Morehead State got the lead up to 20 with under five minutes remaining in the game and did not look back in taking the win, 75-60.

NSU will host Wofford in its season opener next Saturday at 4 p.m.