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NORFOLK, Va. - Looking to break a four-game losing streak, the Norfolk State women's basketball team begins a stretch in which the Spartans play five of their last seven games at home to end the regular season as Hampton comes to town Saturday at 4 p.m. for the hardwood Battle of the Bay Part II.
NSU (8-12 overall, 1-9 MEAC) will then face Howard Monday at 6 p.m.
Hampton owns a 44-35 in the all-time series, and NSU will look to break a nine-game losing streak to the Pirates, dating back to the start of the 2006-07 season. Howard carries a big edge in the series with NSU, 25-9.
Media Coverage: All of NSU's games from now until the end fo the season can be heard live on WNSB Hot 91.1 FM. Click here for the link to the live audio stream. In addition, nsuspartans.com will carry the live video feed here and live stats here.
About Hampton: The MEAC leaders stand 9-1 in the conference and 17-6 overall, with their only conference loss a 55-51 setback at Bethune-Cookman. Since starting the year 1-4, Hampton has gone 16-2 with losses to Wake Forest and the Wildcats.
The Pirates boast five players who can score consistently, with Quanneisha Perry leading the way with 13.5 points and 9.2 rebounds a game. Jericka Jenkins stands second with 12.3 points and has a MEAC-leading 7.0 assists per game. Nicole Hamilton (11.5), Choicetta McMillian (10.0) and Melanie Warner (9.4) also provide some good scoring punch.
Hampton averages 63.0 points per game, compared to 52.8 for opponents. The Pirates shoot better from the floor (38.7 - 36.0 percent) and 3-point range (31.6 - 28.5 percent), and have been helped by attempting nearly 100 more shots than their opponents. Hampton owns a +4.0 rebounding margin, tops in the league, and has committed 59 less turnovers.
About Howard: The Bison have won five in a row and seven of their last eight, putting them at 10-14 overall and tied for third in the conference with a 6-4 mark.
Saadia Doyle is the fuel for the Howard engine, as she totals 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Tamoria Holmes, at 9.5, and Cheyenne Curley-Payne, at 9.3, are the only other two players who average at least 4 or more points per game.
Howard averages just 51.4 points per game but holds teams to 55.3 points. The Bison shoot just 34.5 percent from the floor, 25.9 from long range and are outrebounded by slightly more than 2 rebounds per game. They do, however, average just 16.7 turnovers a game.
Last Time Out: NSU struggled from the floor, hitting slightly better than 30 percent for the game in a 66-48 loss at Delaware State on Monday. Sarah Daily and Rae Corbo each knocked down 14 points - Daily's fourth-straight game in double digits - while Marian Brooks added 10 points and seven boards.
Brittany Washington led the Hornets with 14 points and 10 boards, and despite shooting just 36.4 percent, Delaware State connected of 23-of-30 free throws to pull away from the Spartans. NSU was done in by 24 turnovers.
Outshooting Everyone: Heading into the weekend, NSU was tops in the conference in field goal percentage (40.2) and 3-point field goal percentage (33.8). NSU has hit for 40 percent or better in 11 games this year and is one of two teams in the conference along with N.C. A&T hitting above 40 percent.
Sarah Daily and Whitney Long are the only two players in the league shooting at least 39 percent from the floor as well as from 3-point range, minimum 10 made treys. Long stands second in the league in 3-point shooting at 43.8 percent.
Daily's Back: After posting just nine total points during a recent three-game set, Sarah Daily has rebounded in her last four games, averaging 12.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. She has shot 18-of-37 from the floor, including a 9-of-11 mark from the 3-point line.
Nationally Ranked (Almost): How good has Whitney Long been from long range? Her 43.8 percent clip from beyond the arc for the season would rank tied for 14th in the nation, but the NCAA requires players to average 2 3-pointers made a game. Long has tallied 28 in 20 games.
Best Season in Six Years: With an 8-12 record, NSU has already surpassed the number of wins from the previous two seasons combined. With one more win, the Spartans will have secured the most victories since the 2004-05 campaign, when NSU had a 12-18 overall record.
Hitting Those Free Throws: After struggling at the charity stripe for the first half of the season, NSU has connected on 79-of-117 (67.5 percent) in the last six games. Included in that stretch was a 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) effort at Coppin State on Jan. 31. NSU has not hit that well from the free throw line since March 2, 2009, when the Spartans posted a 12-of-13 effort (92.3 percent) from the line against Howard.
Balanced Scoring, Rebounding: NSU is one of two schools in the MEAC along with Hampton to have at least three players rank in the top 20 in the league in points per game, and one of two along with N.C. A&T with three players in the top 17 in rebounds per game.
Telltale Signs: NSU is 7-1 on the season when leading at halftime but 1-11 when trailing. The Spartans have also gone 1-10 in true road games, 2-0 in neutral site contests and 5-2 at home.
Mixing It Up: NSU has used a number of different combinations on the floor throughout the season. The Spartans have had 11 different starting lineups, and nine players are averaging at least 13 minutes a game.
Owning the Glass: After getting outrebounded by 7.5 boards a game last year, NSU has been steady on the boards this year with a +0.2 rebounding margin. The Spartans have had the edge on the boards in 11 of the season's 20 games.
What Lies Ahead: The Spartans will hit the road to face North Carolina Central and South Carolina State next weekend.
