Box Score GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Norfolk State women's basketball team ended a 10-game losing streak to North Carolina A&T as the Spartans held on for a 54-51 win over the Aggies Thursday evening in both teams' regular season finale at the Corbett Sports Center.

Junior Marian Brooks hit a pair of free throws with 6.7 seconds left to put NSU (11-16, 6-10) up by three, and A&T (14-15, 9-7) called three straight timeouts with 4.3 seconds left after inbounding the ball. The Aggies were unable to get a shot off before the clock expired, as the Spartans picked up their first win over A&T since Feb. 25, 2006.

The Spartans got 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting from senior Whitney Long, including 12 in the second half, but saw their 15-point lead in the second half dissipate when Amber Calvin drained a 3-pointer from the right side with 1:56 left in the game. Down for the first time all game, 51-50, NSU responded, quickly going down the court a short time later following an Aggie miss. Long hit a short baseline jumper to get the lead back, 52-51, with 1:06 left.

NSU fouled A&T on its next possession to prevent the Aggies from running their offense, and the Spartans were able to bleed most of the clock until Brooks got fouled with just a few seconds remaining to put NSU ahead by three. Brooks got fouled after grabbing an offensive board following a last-second heave by Long just prior to the shot clock expiring.

Following Bethune-Cookman's loss to Coppin State on Thursday, the Spartans will play the Wildcats in the first round of the MEAC tournament next Monday at 11 a.m. in the first game of the tournament.

Senior Tyisha Bridges was the only other player in double figures for NSU with 10, while sophomore Rachel Gordon wrapped up the MEAC regular season rebounding title with 16 boards. The Spartans earned the win despite hitting just 29.4 percent for the night on 20-of-68 shooting.

The Aggies hit a respectable 42.2 percent overall on 19-of-45 shooting. The Spartans used their 20-8 advantage in offensive rebounds to post a 14-7 edge in second-chance points. NSU outrebounded A&T, 45-37, and hit 9-of-10 from the free throw line, compared to just 8-of-19 for the Aggies.

The Aggies never held the lead in the first half, as the Spartans jumped out to an early 10-3 lead thanks to a trey and traditional 3-point play from Bridges within the first three minutes of the game. Long connected on a long-range bomb, one of her four in the game, to make it 17-11 at the 11:19 mark. After NSU stretched it to 22-15 thanks to another 3-point play from sophomore Rae Corbo and a layup from freshman Ashley Dillard, though, the Spartans went scoreless for the next five minutes.

The Aggies scored the seven points of the game to tie it up at 22-22, as Tiffanie Adair continued to haunt NSU to the tune of 11 points in the first half. Dillard put the Spartans back on top after she went around a defender and took a pass down low for an easy two. Long then sank another trey with 58 seconds left to give the Spartans a 27-22 lead that they took into the half.

The teams combined to shoot slightly better than 31 percent for the half, while A&T was just 1-of-10 from 3-point range.

NSU scored the first 10 points of the second half, after seemingly having the ball on the offensive end for a good portion of the opening four minutes of the stanza. Long hit a pair of deep treys and added a jumper to help NSU extend the lead to the largest of the game, 40-25, early in the half.

The Aggies used a 12-4 run, highlighted by five points from Adair, to cut the Spartan lead to seven, 44-37, with 8:18 to go. Corbo sank a pair of shots from the charity stripe, and junior Batavia Owens had a putback basket for a 50-41 lead at the 4:24 mark. The Aggies countered with a 10-0 run, capped by a trey from Amber Calvin, for their first and only lead of the game before Long and Brooks won it at the end.

The Aggies were led by Addair with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Calvin was the only other player in double figures with 10, and she also had a game-high five assists.

Owens had eight points for the Spartans, while Corbo added seven. Dillard added four points and two boards in her most extensive action of the season.

NSU will play in the opening game of the 2012 MEAC tournament next Monday at 11 a.m. against Bethune-Cookman.