Game Notes
NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State women's basketball team is looking for its first MEAC win of the season when they take on Coppin State on Saturday, Jan. 19 in Joseph Echols Hall. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. This is the first of three consecutive home games for the Spartans.
Media Coverage: The game against Coppin State will be broadcast live on WNSB Hot 91.1 with Ross Gordon on the call. Live stats and a live video streamcan be found here.
Last Time Out: Despite leading Howard 26-25 at halftime the Spartans (2-13, 0-4) could not pull off the win as they fell to the Lady Bison, 56-45, on Jan. 14. Junior Kashay Barnes led NSU with 14 points and three steals. The Spartans shot 38.1 (16-of-42) percent from the floor on the night. Junior Rachel Gordon was just shy of a double-double as she finished the night with eight points and 11 rebounds.
The Lady Bison shot 31.1 (14-of-45) percent from the floor and had two players score in double-figures. Saadia Doyle led Howard with 26 points, seven rebounds and five steals while teammate Kara Smith tallied 15 points and four rebounds.
All-Time Series: Coppin State leads the series with NSU, 17-6. The last time the Spartans defeated the Eagles was on Jan. 31, 2005 where NSU came away with a 65-57 victory.
About Coppin State: The Eagles (6-11, 2-2) are coming off of a 69-56 win over S.C. State on Jan. 14 at the Physical Education Complex in Baltimore, Md. The Eagles shot 44.1 (26-of-59) percent from the floor and were led by Shawntae Payne who had 22 points. Kyra Coleman and Janelle Lane also finished in double-figures for the Eagles with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Last Year Against Coppin State: On Jan.16 the Spartans suffered a 67-62 loss to Coppin State at the Physical Education Complex in Baltimore, Md. The Spartans shot 35.5 (32-of-62) percent from the floor while the Eagles shot 36.4 (20-of-55) percent. NSU had a collective effort in the loss as Rae Corbo led with 18 points and two steals, Quineshia Leonard added 13 points and seven rebounds and Whitney Long tallied 12 points. Jeanine Manley led the Eagles with 16 points and eight rebounds. Three other Coppin State players reached double-figures including Shawntae Payne and Ashle Craig, who recorded 13 points each, and Leola Spotwood, who had 10 points and eight rebounds.
In the second meeting Coppin State defeated NSU at Joseph Echols Hall, 61-58. The Eagles shot 39.0 (23-of-59) percent while the Spartans were held to 36.8 (21-of-57) percent shooting. Rachel Gordon recorded a double-double as she led NSU with 10 points and 21 rebounds. Shawntae Payne led Coppin State with 17 points, four rebounds and five assists. Jeannine Manley was just shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds while Kyra Coleman also added 14 points for the Eagles.
Scoring Leaders: Kashay Barnes leads NSU in scoring averaging 10.3 points per game followed by Rachel Gordon, who is averaging 9.1 points per game. Barnes scored a career-high 25 points in the Spartans overtime loss to UMES on Jan. 12.
Cracking the top 10: Recca Trice's seven assists in the game against Appalachian State moved her into sixth place all-time in the NSU record book for career assists. Trice has 82 assists on the season and her 414 career assists puts her 14 away from tying Dekisha Thompson for fifth all-time.
MEAC, NCAA Leaderboard: As a team NSU currently ranks in the top 5 in six different categories in the MEAC, while NSU players rank in the top 5 in five different categories, including Rachel Gordon, who leads the league in rebounding at 11.5 boards per game. Gordon also currently ranks 9th in the NCAA in rebounding. Recca Trice is tied for first in the league for assists and is ranked 34th in the nation in assists per games.
