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NORFOLK, Va. - The 2010-11 season will come to a close this week for the Norfolk State women's basketball team, as the No. 11 seed Spartans kick off the MEAC Tournament with sixth-seeded Howard Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Bison and Spartans have met twice this season, with Howard earning a 65-43 win in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17 before defeating NSU by a 66-49 score in Norfolk Feb. 14. Howard now leads the all-time series, 26-9,
Media Coverage: All of the action in the MEAC tournament can be heard live on WNSB Hot 91.1 FM. Click here for the link to the audio feed. In addition, live stats and a live video feed will be available at www.meachoops.com.
About Howard: The Bison earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament with a 9-7 conference record and as usual will be lead by MEAC Player of the Year Saadia Doyle. She finished as the league's top scorer with 18.3 points per game and ranked second in rebounds with 8.9 per game.
Tamoria Holmes and Cheyenne Curley-Payne average 9.9 and 9.8 points respectively. Combined, those top 3 players score 38.0 of the team's 52.6 points per game. The Bison only give up 54.8 per game but shoot just 35.3 percent overall and 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
Although the Bison commit two less turnovers per game than their opponent, Howard has converted more than 50 fewer free throws than its opposition.
Last Time Out: North Carolina A&T ran a fast-paced offense and cruised to a 91-63 win over NSU last Thursday at Echols Hall. Tracey King and Jaquayla Berry tallied 25 and 23 points, respectively, for the Aggies, who shot 52.4 percent for the game.
NSU was just 25-of-70 (35.7 percent) and was led by Rae Corbo with 13 points. Marian Brooks and Batavia Owens added nine and eight points, respectively, while Brooks added a team-high six rebounds. A&T had a 44-31 advantage on the boards.
Corbo Named to MEAC All-Rookie Team: Rae Corbo was named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team last Thursday, marking the third time in four years NSU had a player named to the All-Rookie Team. The MEAC's top freshman scorer and two-time Rookie of the Week, Corbo leads NSU with 10.3 points per game and has also added 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
Weekly Honorees: Rae Corbo was named MEAC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 28, while Rachel Gordon was tabbed the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week. Corbo tallied 31 points in two games along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Gordon grabbed 25 rebounds with two steals and two blocks. It marked just the third time in 14 weeks this year two players from the same team earned two of the three MEAC weekly honors, and the first time during conference play.
Gordon Turning Up the Production: Rachel Gordon grabbed 10.0 rebounds per game from Feb. 14-28. She also added eight assists and committed just seven turnovers in a four-game stretch and converted on 18-of-37 shots from Feb. 12 through the Feb. 28 contest against Coppin State.
Big Win: Not only did NSU break an eight-game losing streak to Morgan State on Feb. 26 stretching back five years, but the Spartans picked up their second MEAC win for the first time in four seasons.
Limiting Mistakes: NSU committed season lows of 13 turnovers and 12 fouls against the Bears. For the first time in 15 games, the Spartans made more free throws than their opponent. It marked just the second time during that span NSU even attempted more free throws than the other team.
NSU has committed less than 20 turnovers in four of the last five games after having at least 20 in six of the previous seven games before that.
Points in the Paint: NSU had a season-high 42 points in the paint against North Carolina A&T on March 3, the most in 40 games dating back to Jan. 23, 2010 at Winston-Salem State when NSU also had 42.
Outshooting Everyone: Heading into the MEAC Tournament, NSU was tops in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 32.7 percent. Whitney Long is one of four players in the league shooting at least 38 percent from the floor and from 3-point range, minimum 10 made treys. Long stands second in the league in 3-point shooting at 41.7 percent.
Cleaning Up the Glass: NSU grabbed 47 rebounds in the loss to Coppin State on Feb. 28, the most boards in 42 games dating back to Jan. 11, 2010 at Florida A&M. NSU posted 51 boards as a team that day against the Rattlers. In addition, Batavia Owens and Rachel Gordon each had 11 rebounds against the Eagles, the second time this season a pair of teammates reached double digitis. Owens and Marian Brooks each had 10 against Central Arkansas.
Best Season in Six Years: With a 9-18 record, NSU has already secured the most victories since the 2004-05 campaign, when the Spartans had a 12-18 overall record.
Telltale Signs: NSU is 7-2 on the season when leading at halftime but 2-16 when trailing. The Spartans have also gone 1-12 in true road games, 2-0 in neutral site contests and 6-6 at home. They have also posted a 7-8 record in day games, but just a 2-10 record in night contests.
