Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Video & Audio
NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State women's basketball team will face its last nonconference opponent of the season as they travel to Philadelphia, Pa., to take on the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday. Game time is at 2 p.m. at The Palestra.
Media Coverage: Live stats will be available here. Live video and audio will be available here.
All-Time Series: NSU leads the series with Penn, 1-0. The Spartans claimed a 60-51 victory over Penn last season on Nov. 9, 2012.
Last Time Out: James Madison shot 46.3 percent from the floor to hand Norfolk State a 94-50 loss in the championship game of the JMU Invitational on Monday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Junior forward Quineshia Leonard turned in a good all-purpose effort with 12 points, 10 rebounds and one block to pace the team. Leonard also made the JMU Invitational all-tournament team.
For the game, the Spartans shot 32.1 percent (17-of-53) and totaled 30 rebounds, while committing just 16 turnovers. The Dukes outscored NSU 42-20 in the paint and 32-25 in bench points.
Leonard was the only Spartan to score in double-figures. Gordon tallied nine points and eight rebounds, Basey had eight points and Dominique Harper posted six points.
About Penn: Penn (6-2) is coming off of a 67-66 victory over the University of Miami (Fla.) on Jan. 1 at the Bank United Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The win is Penn's first-ever victory over an ACC opponent.
Katy Allen led the Quakers with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal. Alyssa Baron also scored in double-figures for Penn, finishing the game with 14 points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Baron currently ranks in the top-five all-time at Penn in nearly every major category.
The Quakers shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the field, including 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from 3-point range. They also shot 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from the free throw line.
Penn held Miami to 38 percent shooting (27-of-72) and 3-of-18 (16.7%) from three-point range. Miami won the rebounding battle, 46-37. The Quakers had 15 turnovers, but forced 10 miscues from the Hurricanes.
Last Time Against Penn: Kashay Barnes had a team high 16 points and Quineshia Leonard added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Norfolk State women's basketball team over Penn, 60-51, in the season opener on Nov. 9, 2012 at Joseph Echols Hall.
The Spartans led by as many as 11 in the second half after two Leonard free throws with 18:32 to go in the second half. Penn went on a 14-4 run over the next five minutes to come within one, 34-33, after an Alyssa Barron 3-pointer with 13:45 left. Penn got within one on one more occasion, but could never overcome the Spartans.
Ebony Brown had nine points off the bench and Rachel Gordon chipped in with a game-high 15 rebounds for NSU.
The Spartans shot 76 percent (19-of-25). NSU out-rebounded Penn 46-35 and limited the Quakers to 31.7 percent shooting.
Scoring Leaders: Rae Corbo leads NSU in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game followed by Rachel Gordon, who is averaging 11.3 points per game. Ebony Brown rounds out the top-three scoring leaders for NSU, averaging 10.8 points per game.
Winning the Rebounding Battle: The Spartans currently rank third in the MEAC with 41.9 boards per game.
Moving Up the Charts: Rachel Gordon is in 8th place all-time in career rebounding at NSU with 872 rebounds. Gordon needs three more rebounds to tie Beverly Davis for 7th place all-time career rebounding at NSU.
Cracking the Top 10: Rae Corbo ranks 12th all-time in career free throws made at NSU with 215 made shots. Corbo needs to make only nine more to tie Charlette Fayton for 10th all-time career free throws made at NSU.
NCAA, MEAC Leaderboard: Rachel Gordon currently ranks No. 5 in the nation in rebounds per game and Rae Corbo is No. 44 in free throw percentage.
As a team, NSU currently ranks in the top 5 in 14 different categories in the MEAC, while NSU players rank in the top 5 in eight different categories, including Rachel Gordon, who leads the league in rebounds, averaging 12.8 rebounds per game.
Stingy Defense: NSU gave up 40 points against Virginia University-Lynchburg on Dec. 20. It marked the fewest points NSU had given up in a game in the Division I era. The last time the Spartans gave up 40 points or less was against Bethune-Cookman last season on March 2.
NSU Wins Big: The Spartans posted their largest win in more than eight years with their 116-40 victory over Virginia University-Lynchburg on Dec. 20. The 76-point margin was the largest for NSU since they defeated St. Paul's by 83 points on Jan. 16, 1996. The win also set a Division-I record for the Spartans and ranks fifth all-time in NSU's record book.
The Spartans shot 63.2 percent (48-of-76) on the afternoon and were 7-of-16 from 3-point range. NSU also finished the night shooting 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the free throw line.
Follow NSU, Coach Clark on Twitter: In addition to its official athletic web site at www.nsuspartans.com, you can also follow NSU athletics on the social networking site Twitter. Log onto www.twitter.com/NSUSpartans and become a follower of the Spartans today to get updates on all things NSU, including updates during games.
Coach Clark is also a part of the Twitter world. Check out www.twitter.com/dclarknsuwbb to hear more from the coach throughout the season.
Follow NSU on YouTube: You can also find the Spartans on YouTube at www.youtube.com/nsuathletics. Check out highlights from different NSU athletic events as well as interviews with players and coaches after the games.
Throughout the season, you can follow NSU athletics on YouTube with the Spartan Sports Zone. There you can find recaps of games with highlights and interviews with players and coaches. Check back at the YouTube home of NSU Athletics at www.nsuspartans.com for more on NSU women's basketball this year.
Follow NSU on Facebook: You can also follow the entire Norfolk State Athletic Department on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NorfolkStateAthletics.
