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NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State women's basketball team begins the final stretch of the regular season - the first of three straight home games - by taking on Morgan State Saturday at 4 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall. NSU will welcome Coppin State to its home court Monday at 6 p.m.
Morgan State held on for a 64-60 win Jan. 29 in Baltimore, the eighth win in a row for the Bears over the Spartans. NSU still leads the all-time series, 13-10. Coppin State won, 64-55, on Jan. 31 despite having several players sitting out due to suspension. The Eagles lead the all-time series, 16-6, and have won 10 straight against the Spartans.
Media Coverage: All of NSU's games from now until the end of the season can be heard live on WNSB Hot 91.1 FM. Click here to access the link to the live audio feed. In addition, fans can purchase a pass to watch the live video feed here, and follow along with the live stats here.
Last Time Out: South Carolina State sent NSU (8-16, 1-12 MEAC) to its eighth-straight loss with a 62-49 win over the Spartans last Monday in South Carolina. Rachel Gordon tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Rae Corbo and Sarah Daily each had 11 points for NSU.
The Spartans hit just 30.5 percent for the game, while S.C. State connected on 38.5 percent. The Bulldogs were helped by an 18-of-26 night from the free throw line. Whitney Wiley had a game-high 16 points. S.C. State held a 30-14 advantage in points in the paint.
About Morgan State: The Bears own second place in the league with a 9-4 MEAC mark and stand 15-11 overall after defeating UMES in overtime last Monday, 58-56, to break a three-game losing streak.
Brittany Dodson paces the Bears with 11.1 points per game, while Theresa Davis ranks second with 9.0 points and has a team-leading 7.2 rebounds. Erin Hawkins has a team-leading 66 assists with 7.2 points.
Morgan State scores 54.8 points per game thanks to a field goal percentage less than 35 percent and a 3-point field goal percentage close to 29 percent. The Bears allow just 58.3 points per game, 36 percent shooting and 28 percent shooting from beyond the arc. They have, though, been hurt on the boards, as opponents average slightly more than eight more boards a game than MSU and 42.9 overall.
About Coppin State: The Eagles owns a 7-6 MEAC record and sit in sixth place at the moment in the league standings. Coppin State carries a 10-15 overall record into the weekend.
Jeanine Manley paces the offense with 11.0 points and 5.2 rebounds on a MEAC-leading 52.1 percent shooting clip. Larrisa Carter posts a team-best 7.8 rebounds and ranks second behind Manley with 9.7 points. Shawntae Payne has handed out a team-best 59 assists to go along with 9.0 points per game.
The Eagles score well at 61.4 points per game, but they also give up 60.2 per contest. Coppin State has struggled from 3-point range (26.4 percent) and at the free throw line (59.1 percent). They have done well creating turnovers, as opponents give up the ball an average of 24.4 times a game. Coppin State leads the league with 12.8 steals.
Outshooting Everyone: Heading into the weekend, NSU was tops in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 33.6 and second in field goal percentage at 39.5 percent.
Sarah Daily and Whitney Long are two of just four players in the league shooting at least 38 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 44.7 percent, while Daily ranks third at 39.3 percent.
Daily's Back: After posting just nine total points during a three-game set, Sarah Daily has rebounded in her last eight games, averaging 10.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest. She has shot 32-of-77 from the floor (41.6 percent), including 14-of-27 from the 3-point line (51.9 percent), during that time.
Nationally Ranked (Almost): How good has Whitney Long been from long range? Her 44.7 percent clip from beyond the arc for the season would rank 10th in the nation, but the NCAA requires players to average 2 3-pointers made a game. Long has tallied 34 in 24 games.
Balanced Scoring, Rebounding: NSU is one of four schools in the MEAC along with Howard, Bethune-Cookman and Hampton to have at least three players in the top 22 in the league in scoring, and one of two along with N.C. A&T with three players in the top 17 in rebounds per game.
Rae Corbo has led or tied for the team lead in scoring in seven games, while Whitney Long and Sarah Daily have done so in six games. Batavia Owens (four games), Marian Brooks (two games) and Tyisha Bridges and Rachel Gordon (one game each) have also led the team in scoring this year.
More Rookie Props: Rae Corbo, an athletic freshman expected to make a big impact right away, has shown flashes of her potential throughout her rookie campaign. She currently ranks first on the team with 9.9 points per game to go along with 2.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals. She has led the team in assists in eight of the last nine games.
Best Season in Six Years: With an 8-16 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.
Telltale Signs: NSU is 7-1 on the season when leading at halftime but 1-15 when trailing. The Spartans have also gone 1-12 in true road games, 2-0 in neutral site contests and 5-4 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 10 players are averaging at least 9 minutes a game.
What Lies Ahead: The Spartans will host Coppin State Monday at 6 p.m. before closing the regular season Thursday at home against North Carolina A&T at 6 p.m.
