Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – Unable to fully overcome a huge early first-half deficit, the Norfolk State women's basketball team fell to South Carolina State 75-69, Monday night in MEAC play at Joseph Echols Hall.

The Bulldogs improved to 3-4 overall, 1-1 in MEAC play thanks to a 19-2 run to start the game. NSU (5-3, 1-1) made just one of its first 10 shots to fall into that early hole, although the Spartans were able to chip away and take a brief one-point lead mid-way through the second half.

Senior Whitney Long had another solid effort, posting a game-high 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting for the Spartans. Sophomore Rae Corbo added 14 points and four steals, while freshman Ebony Brown tallied 10 points.

The Bulldogs connected on 47.9 percent for the game (23-of-48) and were assisted by a 26-of-38 effort from the free throw line, including 21-of 33 in the second half. Tiara Knotts led S.C. State with 16 points, while Cabriel Duren tallied 15.

The Spartans hit a respectable 27-of-64 from the floor (42.2 percent) but were unable to win the rebound battle, as the Bulldogs held a 40-29 edge on the boards. S.C. State committed 24 turnovers, compared to 20 for NSU.

The Bulldogs got off to a hot start, scoring the first 12 points of the game before Corbo's jumpshot behind the free throw line gave NSU its first bucket at the 14:22 mark. The lead stretched to 19-2 before a 3-point play by junior Batavia Owens finally ended the long Bulldog run at 12:51 and started a 9-2 run by the Spartans.

That run got the lead down to 10 at 21-11, topped off when sophomore Rachel Gordon ripped down an offensive board and scored the putback. A little more than six minutes later, Corbo got NSU to within six, 26-20, after a steal on the defensive end and a fastbreak layup with 3:06 left on the clock.

The Bulldogs, though, took a 10-point lead into the break, 33-23, holding NSU to 33.3 percent shooting for the half and grabbing nine more boards than the Spartans.

Early in the second half, NSU again got the deficit into single digits, as junior Recca Trice's short jumper and a steal and subsequent fastbreak layin from Long cut the Bulldog lead to five, 36-31, at the 17:50 mark. The Bulldogs, though, answered right back with an 8-2 run to get the lead back into double digits, 44-33, just after the under-16 media timeout.

NSU went on a 9-2 run from that point, sparked by a 3 from Long and finished on a driving baseline layup by Brown to cut the Bulldog lead to four, 46-42, at the 11:37 mark. Then, on back-to-back possessions, Long finally gave NSU its first lead of the game, first sinking a long range shot and then hitting a mid-range jumper to make it 51-50 right near the eight-minute mark.

After junior Marian Brooks hit a pair of free throws to tie it up at 53-53, an 8-0 run by S.C. State put the Spartans right back into a hole again down 61-53 with just over five minutes left in the game. The Spartans, though, got no closer than four the rest of the way when Corbo's basket made it 73-69 with 15 seconds left.

Tracey Flowers and Trinese Fox posted 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bulldogs, while Paris Alston had a game-high nine rebounds with nine points.

The teams combined for just five 3-pointers in the game on 11 attempts.

NSU will hit the road for a non-conference tilt at Longwood Sunday at 2 p.m.