Friday: at Texas Southern, Noon
Game Notes | Twitter Updates
NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State women's basketball team will kick off its 2011-12 campaign with one of the first games of the entire season in Division I women's basketball Friday at noon EST (11 a.m. CST) at Texas Southern.
This will mark the first meeting ever between the two HBCUs. Live stats and live video will not be available for the game, but NSU will provide periodic Twitter updates.
Early Start: With a noon tip-off between NSU and TSU, today's game is one of five throughout the country that will start at the noon hour. The college basketball season gets underway at 11 a.m. when Boston College plays host to Fairleigh Dickinson, while North Carolina A&T will play at Iona with an 11:11 a.m. start.
How NSU Shapes Up: NSU lost three letterwinners from last year, but only one who played significant minutes in Sarah Daily, the third-leading scorer in 2010-11. With nine letterwinners returning, plus an addition four recruits and two walk-ons added to the mix, the Spartans are looking to turn the corner in Head Coach Debra Clark's third year.
NSU boasts a balanced scoring lineup, with shooting guards sophomore Rae Corbo and senior Whitney Long returning as the top two scorers from a year ago. Corbo was named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team after averaging 10.4 points per game, the most among all of the conference's rookies, while Long averaged 9.8 points and shot a league-high 41.6 percent from 3-point range. Daily ranked as the third-leading scorer with 8.9 points.
The Spartans also return its three core forwards/centers in juniors Marian Brooks and Batavia Owens and sophomore Rachel Gordon. The three combined to average almost 18 boards per game as well as almost 19 points per contest. Gordon led the team in blocks with 18.
That trio ranked 4-5-6 on the team in scoring as well as 1-2-3 in rebounds, and together those three along with Corbo and Long will provide much of the scoring for NSU. The three post players will be backed up by returning sophomore Carlon Chambers, who, like Owens, is better suited at center with Gordon and Brooks more of a power forward mold.
The Spartans also return senior guard Tyisha Bridges, who mans the 3-guard spot and is more known for her defense. Clark believes Bridges will be able to provide more scoring this year, along with junior point guard Recca Trice and sophomore guard Tia Moore.
Trice led the team with 2.8 assists per game last year, splitting time at point guard with Corbo, while Moore saw limited playing time but has already provided a bigger spark this preseason. Trice will be the main option at point guard, although the coaching staff uses a variety of lineups throughout the game involving Trice, Corbo, Long, Moore and Bridges.
NSU will also count on several freshmen, especially once they get their feet wet in the collegiate game. At 6-1, Quineshia Leonard is more than capable of providing good scoring and defense to complement Owens at center, while 3-guard Ebony Brown will be counted on to provide backup to Bridges. NSU will also throw Corbo, Long and Trice out on the court at the same time, as Corbo is versatile enough to play point guard and shooting guard (as she did last year), as well as the 3-guard spot.
Also seeing limited action this preseason has been freshman point guard Breannah Davis-Bloom and rookie center Ashley Dillard. The NSU coaching staff is looking for Davis-Bloom to develop into a solid leader on the court much like Trice, while Dillard will rotate into the lineup at times at center to spell relief for the other players.
Of the two walk-ons, freshman guard Jazamine Gray has seen a decent amount of time on the court, with Ashley Deal yet to see time on the court in exhibition play. Both players are known more for their defense, although Gray has been running the show at times at point guard this year.
Spartans Fall in Exhibition Play: NSU could not completely erase a 19-point second half deficit at Elizabeth City State on Monday as the Vikings defeated the Spartans, 76-74, at ECSU's RL Vaughan Center. NSU was led by Long with 19 points, while Shatara Jackson piled up 24 points for Elizabeth City State.
Gordon tallied a double-double for NSU with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Corbo also reached double figures with 10 points. Moore and Owens added nine and eight points, respectively, while Trice had team-highs of four assists and three steals.
As a team, NSU shot 40.0 percent for the game but let the Vikings shoot 49.1 percent, including 57.7 percent in the first half. NSU held an edge in rebounds, 37-33, and committed one less turnover, 21-20, which led to a 29-18 advantage for the Spartans in points off turnovers. NSU hit 27-of-36 from the free throw line (75.0 percent), while Elizabeth City State connected of 14-of-19 (73.7 percent).
Best Season in Six Years: With a 9-19 record last year, NSU secured the most overall victories since the 2004-05 campaign, when the Spartans posted a 12-18 overall record.
NSU started last year out with a 4-1 record. The only other time that happened in the D-I era occurred during the 2001-02 season when NSU went on to capture the MEAC tournament title. Seven of last year's wins occurred out of conference, also the most since the 2001-02 campaign.
Spartans Get No Respect: NSU was picked to finish 13th in the MEAC this season in the preseason poll as voted on by coaches and sports information directors. NSU received just 90 points overall, trailing the No. 12 team in the poll, North Carolina Central, which received 94 points. After finishing with a 2-14 conference record last year, the Spartans will have to earn the league's respect out on the court.
Pair of Captains: NSU will rely on Bridges and Brooks to be team leaders this year, as each of the two will hold the title of team captain this year.
Clark Begins Round Three: Head Coach Debra Clark begins her third year with the program this year, after serving as the interim coach her first season. Clark's overall record stands at 224-236 following head coaching stints at Winston-Salem State from 1994-2001 and Florida A&M from 2001-08.
