Box Score

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Unable to overcome a 19-point second half deficit, the Norfolk State women's basketball team's late rally fell short in a 76-74 loss to Elizabeth City State Monday evening at the RL Vaughan Center.

The Vikings took a 10-point lead at the break and extended it throughout the early part of the second half before NSU cut it to as much as four with a little less than nine minutes left in the game. Jasmine Whitehurst hit a pair of back-breaking 3-pointers late in the contest to help secure the victory for Elizabeth City State.

Senior Whitney Long totaled 19 points in the game for the Spartans, and sophomore Rachel Gordon added a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. NSU, though, was unable to stop Shatara Jackson, who tallied 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the Vikings.

Jackson was part of a unit that hit 49.1 percent from the floor for the night, including better than 57 percent in the first half. The Spartans, on the other hand, hit an even 40.0 percent for the game. Sophomore Rae Corbo was the only other player in double figures for NSU with 10.

Whitehurst and Stephanie Harper totaled 15 and 14 points, respectively, for the Vikings, while Harper also had a team-high eight rebounds with three steals. Jackson added to her all-around game with six rebounds, six assists and four steals.

NSU held a 37-33 edge on the boards, including 20 offensive boards which led to 20 second-chance points. The Spartans also had a 29-18 advantage in points off turnovers despite committing just one less turnover than the Vikings, 21-20.

Sophomore Tia Moore and junior Batavia Owens added nine and eight points, respectively, while junior Recca Trice led the Spartans with four assists and three steals.

After a miss on Elizabeth City State's end turned into a quick two by Long to make it 4-2 early on to start the game, the Vikings grabbed the lead back before Trice drove down low, sank a 7-foot jumper and then completed the And-1 for a 10-8 Spartan lead at the 15:57 mark. NSU went scoreless from the floor, but did sink five free throws, during a three-minute stretch before some excellent passing made its way to sophomore Carlon Chambers down low for the easy two to make it 17-14 in favor of NSU.

Moore drove along the right baseline and completed a three-point play at the 11:26 mark for a 20-19 lead, and Gordon added a pair of baskets that tied it at 26-26 with 8:53 left in the half. From there, though, the Vikings used an 11-2 run to pull out to a double-digit lead, 37-28, with less than four minutes remaining.

A 3-pointer from Long ended a more than five-and-a-half minute scoring drought from the floor for the Spartans to cut it to six, 37-31, but Jackson continued to put the Vikings on her back, scoring the last four points of the half for a 43-33 lead.

Jackson had 15 points at the break, while Harper added 10.

NSU had to call a timeout after Elizabeth City State scored seven of the first eight points to start the second half. Long hit a pair of free throws and then a 3-pointer at 13:26 for the first bucket of the half for NSU to erase what had been a 19-point lead for the Vikings. Long then cut it to 12, 58-46, with an easy underneath basket to force Elizabeth City State to call timeout with 12:18 to go.

Corbo converted a layup with 11:47 to go to complete a 13-2 run for NSU and make it 58-50. Gordon then found Owens alone down low to cut the deficit to six, 60-54, with 9:21 to go. Long's 15-foot jumper a little more than 30 second later made it 60-56.

A 7-1 run by Elizabeth City State pushed the lead back into double digits, but NSU responded, as Moore got fouled underneath and sank the free throw to complete the three-point play, 68-63. Whitehurst hit a back-breaking 3 with 3:24 to go, and then did it again at the 1:08 mark after Long's trey had cut the deficit to five a minute and a half earlier.

Long found Gordon for the layup with 54 seconds left, and then Long hit two free throws after getting a hold of the ensuing inbounds pass at halfcourt, making it 74-72 with slightly more than 50 seconds to go. After the Vikings could not convert on their end, NSU had the advantage going down court before losing control of the ball. Jackson hit a pair of free throws with exactly 13.0 second left for an insurmountable four-point lead.

NSU will begin the regular season Friday with a noon (EST) tipoff at Texas Southern.