Box Score DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Senior Whitney Long tallied a career-high 32 points, but it was not enough as the Norfolk State women's basketball team fell to Bethune-Cookman, 83-73, Saturday afternoon at Moore Gymnasium.

Long scored the most points in a game by an NSU player in three years as the Spartans fell to 10-15 overall, 5-9 in MEAC play, despite shooting 53.7 percent for the game. The Wildcats improved to 10-16, 7-7 in conference play thanks to a combined 49 points from Demetria Frank and Jasmine Elum, including 33 points in the second half.

Long connected on 12-of-16 shots for the game, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and for the second straight game reached the 20-point plateau in the second half with 22. Her six treys tied her career high and fell just one short of tying the school record. NSU had a season-high seven 3-pointers in the game.

Junior Batavia Owens was the only other player in double figures for the Spartans with 13 points. She also completed the double-double with 13 rebounds, while sophomore Rachel Gordon added 10 boards on the day.

The Wildcats connected on 16-of-22 from the free throw line thanks to 21 fouls on the Spartans. NSU was just 8-of-14 from the charity stripe but 29-of-54 from the floor for the game. The Spartans had 22 assists on their 29 baskets. Junior Recca Trice had a team-high six assists and was one of seven players on the NSU squad with two or more helpers.

Long drained a 3-pointer to give NSU an early 7-2 lead to start the game. After the teams went back-and-forth over the next six minutes, Elum drained a trey to put the Wildcats back up by one, 15-14, with 8:39 left in the first half. A short time later, Bethune-Cookman started a 13-4 run that increased their lead to the biggest of the first stanza, 30-21, with a minute and a half left.

Long connected on another trey with 35 seconds left to cut the deficit to 32-26 going into the half. Despite shooting better from the floor and having an 11-rebound edge in the first half, NSU was hurt by 16 turnovers prior to intermission.

The teams then found plenty of offense in the second half, combining for 98 second-half points. Both teams shot at least 60 percent in the second stanza.

Trice and senior Tyisha Bridges hit a pair of shots early in the second half to help NSU cut the deficit to its smallest of the second stanza, 34-31, just two minutes into the half. The Wildcats, though, used a 13-2 run over the next three minutes to stretch the lead to 14, 47-33.

Long capped a 9-2 Spartan run with a trey and a fastbreak layup to cut into the Bethune-Cookman lead, 49-42, with 12 minutes left in the game. The teams again traded baskets, combining for 14 points in a two-minute span at one point. Up 60-50 with 9:03 left, though, the Wildcats went on a 14-4 run over the next four minutes for their biggest lead of the game, 74-54, with five minutes on the clock.

The Spartans got no closer than 10 points, that being in the final minute of play, as the Wildcats topped 80 points in a game for the first time all season.

NSU outrebounded Bethune-Cookman for the game, 36-25. The Wildcats hit exactly 50 percent from the floor on 30-of-60 shooting, including a 7-of-20 effort from beyond the arc. In addition to Frank and Elum with 25 and 24 points, respectively, Jalisa Isaac added 19 points. The trio combined for 24-of-43 shooting, while the rest of the team hit just 6-of-17.

Frank also led the way with eight steals, five assists and four blocks.

NSU will head to Florida A&M for a 5:30 p.m. start on Monday.