This Weekend's Schedule
Saturday: UMES at NSU, 4 p.m., Joseph Echols Hall
Monday: Howard at NSU, 6 p.m., Joseph Echols Hall
Radio: WNSB Hot 91.1 FM
Live Stats | Live Audio/Video | Live Audio Feed | Game Notes: UMES | Howard
NORFOLK, Va. - With the non-conference season in the rearview mirror, the Norfolk State women's basketball team will turn its attention to the full MEAC schedule, beginning with a home date against UMES Saturday at 4 p.m. at Echols Hall. NSU will also host Howard Monday at 6 as part of a doubleheader with the men's team.
The doubleheader against UMES has been designated Military Appreciation Day, with all military in uniform receiving free admission. Active duty military and veterans not in uniform get in for just $5 with a valid ID.
UMES has won six in a row in the series, but NSU still leads by a 19-11 margin all-time. Howard has won eight in a row and leads that series over NSU, 27-9.
Media Coverage: NSU will provide live statistical and live video feeds for the game. The game will also be heard on WNSB Hot 91.1 FM, with Joe Cook making the call and Ross Gordon on color. NSU's live video feed will carry the radio play-by-play with it.
Last Time Out: NSU ended a five-game losing streak with a 60-57 shocker of George Mason Monday at Echols Hall. Whitney Long hit a floater in the lane with less than a minute to go to give the Spartans the lead, and Long and Rae Corbo each hit a pair of free throws late to seal the win, the first over a CAA opponent in 27 games.
Batavia Owens led the Spartans with 16 points, while Rachel Gordon added 14 points and 11 rebounds in helping NSU to a 45-33 edge on the boards. Long added 15 points, while Recca Trice tallied six assists.The Spartans held George Mason's top scorer, Taleia Moton, to 11 points, all in the first half. Moton had entered the contest averaging better than 22 per game.
March to 1,000: Whitney Long needs just 82 points to become the 20th player all-time at NSU with 1,000 career points. She has reached double digits in scoring in nine of the last 10 games, and at her current pace, she could finish as high as 13th all-time in scoring at NSU by the end of the season.
Defensive Minded: Rachel Gordon has tallied double-digit efforts in rebounds in eight of the team's 13 games this year. Dating back to last season, Gordon has posted 10 or more rebounds in 11 of the last 18 games.
Cracking the top 10: Recca Trice moved into ninth place all-time in the NSU record book for career assists during the Monmouth contest, and her 255 career helpers now puts her 23 away from tying Toia Johnson for eighth all time. In addition, Whitney Long is one 3-pointer away from moving into a tie for third place all-time in career treys as well.
MEAC, NCAA Leaderboard: As a team NSU ranks in the top 3 in eight different categories in the MEAC, including second in both field goal percentage (40.0) and rebounds (41.5). NSU players rank in the top 5 in eight different categories in the league, including Rachel Gordon, who stands second in rebounding (9.3) and offensive rebounding (4.2). Heading into the week, Gordon ranked 53rd in the nation in rebounding.
What's the Opposite of a Sophomore Slump?: Rachel Gordon has tallied 9.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this year. Her production is up 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game from last year. Rae Corbo, meanwhile, has upped her scoring average by 1.8 points per game and has committed nearly 1 less turnover per contest.
Better in the Second Half: So far this season, NSU has scored 94 more points in the second half than the first half, an average of 7.2 points per game. The Spartans have outscored their opponents by a combined 61 points in the second stanza. NSU is 5-0 this year when either leading or tied at the half, but just 1-7 when trailing at the break.
Limiting Those Turnovers: In five of the last seven games, NSU has committed 18 or fewer turnovers, including a season-low 11 against St. Bonaventure. After averaging more than 20 per game last season and finishing 272nd in the nation in turnover ratio at -2.43, NSU ranks 105th in the nation this heading into the week with a +1.67 ratio. In fact, except for 3-point field goals per game, NSU has improved its national ranking in every category from last year, including by more than 100 spots in scoring offense, scoring margin and field goal defense.
Winning the Rebounding Battle: NSU outrebounded its first six opponents of the season and has held the edge in eight games overall. So far this year, the Spartans are outrebounding their opponents by 1.2 boards per game, a +2.7 difference from a season ago.
Same Starters: After using 13 different starting combinations in 2010-11, the Spartans have used just three this year, including the same five of Batavia Owens, Rachel Gordon, Rae Corbo, Whitney Long and Recca Trice in nine of the team's 13 games. When those five are on the court, they are averaging nearly 11 points more than their opponents per 40 minutes of play.
Outshooting the Competition: So far this season, NSU has shot better from the floor than its opponents in nine of the 13 games. In the Division I era NSU has hit from better than 53 percent in six games, with two of those coming this year.
Scoring Tidbits: The duo of Rachel Gordon, Whitney Long and Rae Corbo have combined for 24 of the team's 34 double digit scoring efforts and 56.4 of the team's total scoring on the year. NSU has also dominated the inside scoring, averaging 8.7 more points in the paint per game.
Making Strides: The 60-57 win over George Mason marked the first defeat of a current CAA opponent in 28 games, dating back to the 1999-2000 season. The Patriots had won the previous two meetings each of the last two seasons by an average of 22 points a game.
Up Next: NSU will hit the road for the first time in MEAC play with a trip to Baltimore to face Morgan State and Coppin State Jan. 14 and 16.
