Box Score GREENVILLE, N.C. – Jada Payne tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, and host East Carolina limited Norfolk State to 23 percent shooting in the Pirates' 65-36 win over the Spartans on Saturday evening at Minges Coliseum.
Rae Corbo scored 15 points to lead the Spartans (2-7), who lost their second straight.
Despite struggling on the offensive end and missing leading scorers Corbo and
Kayla Roberts for stretches of the first half due to foul trouble, NSU drew within four points of ECU (9-2) early in the second half. After her team trailed 29-21 at the break, Corbo hit a 3-pointer less than two minutes into the second half and then a free throw 30 seconds later to bring the Spartans within 29-25.
Corbo's free throw would be NSU's last point for more than six minutes, however. ECU outscored the Spartans 15-5 over a nine-minute stretch, helping the Pirates methodically extend their lead to 44-30 after an Abria Trice 3-pointer with 8:11 remaining in the game. ECU widened its margin late, ending the game on a 19-4 run over the final six minutes.
Neither team could gain traction at the offensive end of the floor in the first half. The Spartans hit just 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) and ECU 13-of-33 (39.3 percent) in the first stanza. The Pirates led 18-5 just eight minutes into the game after a jumper by Payne. Roberts went to the bench with her second foul of the half a minute and a half later, and Corbo sat the final 6:27 of the half after picking up her second foul. But the Spartans hung around and cut their deficit to single digits at 29-21 on a 3-pointer by
Ebony Brown with 54 seconds left before halftime.
But ECU turned up the pressure in the second half, holding NSU to just 14.7 percent shooting (5-of-34) from the floor.
Trice had 13 points and I'Tiana Taylor added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Pirates. ECU's defense notched 10 blocks and 15 steals and the taller Pirates also outrebounded NSU 56-43. Ondrea Shaw had five of ECU's 10 blocks. Taylor chipped in with three steals and two blocks.
Corbo was the only Spartan to score more than six points.
Nia Roberts had six points and career highs of 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. The Spartans blocked a season-high seven shots as a team.
The 36 points are NSU's fewest since a 50-36 loss to Texas-Pan American last November.
The Spartans are off for a week before participating in the Seawolves Holiday Classic hosted by Stony Brook on Dec. 28-29. NSU plays Holy Cross on Sunday, Dec. 28 and Stony Brook on Monday, Dec. 29.
