NORFOLK, Va. –The Norfolk State women's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 62-47 loss to North Carolina A&T on Thursday night at Joseph Echols Hall.

The Spartans fell to 4-12 in the MEAC and 6-21 overall, while N.C. A&T improved to 13-3 in the conference and 21-8 overall.

NSU got on the board first with a pair of back-to-back jumpers from senior Batavia Owens and junior Rachel Gordon with 18:58 to go in the first half to give NSU a 4-0 lead over the Aggies.

North Carolina A&T answered with a pair of 3-pointers from Tracy King and Ariel Bursey to take a 6-4 lead against the Spartans with 17:46 left before halftime. The Aggies shot 34.8 (8-of-23) percent from behind the arc on the night.

Junior Kashay Barnes scored on a layup to make the score 8-6 with 14:04 remaining in the first half. This was NSU's final lead of the night.

Nikia Gorham knocked down a jumper in the paint to cap a 12-2 run to give the Aggies an 18-10 lead over NSU with 7:29 to go before halftime.

After two minutes without a field-goal, Aivah Parham got the layup with 5:55 left in the half as the Spartans continued to trail N.C. A&T, 21-13. Parham led all scorers as she finished the night with 13 points and five rebounds.

Eboni Ross scored the last bucket of the half with 15 seconds left to send the Aggies into halftime leading NSU, 29-16. Ross claimed a double-double as she finished the night with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Spartans got things started offensively in the second half with a layup by Parham. NSU trailed N.C. A&T, 29-18, with 19:25 left in regulation.

JaQuayla Berry made a jumper on the other end with 15:50 left to play to cap a 12-6 run for the Aggies, as they continued to lead NSU, 41-24.

Owens dominated the inside all night and got a layup with an assist from Parham to spark an 8-3 run for NSU with 15:15 to go in regulation. Gordon completed the run with a layup with 12:16 remaining to make the score 44-32.

The Aggies led by as many as 26 points in the second half when Ross knocked down a jumper with 4:43 left in the game. The 16-2 run gave the Aggies a 60-34 lead over the Spartans.

NSU ended the game on a 13-2 run as Barnes hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 3:08 on the clock. NSU shot only 33.3 (2-of-6) percent from 3-point range on the night.

The Aggies finished the game shooting 43.4 (23-of-53) percent from the field. Berry had 12 points and six rebounds to lead N.C. A&T. King tallied 11 points and Bursey added 10 points, respectively.

The Spartans shot only 31.7 (19-of-60) percent on the night. Aside from Parham, Owens was the only other NSU player to score in double-figures. She posted her second consecutive double-double as she finished the game with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The Spartans will open up MEAC Tournament play on Tuesday afternoon against Florida A&M at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. Tip-off is at 1:30 p.m. For a complete tournament bracket, click here.