NSU Women (0-8) at Marshall (7-1)
Sunday, Dec. 20, 1 p.m.
Henderson Center, Huntington, W.Va.
Game Notes  |  Live Stats  |  Live Video

NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State women's basketball team (0-8) continues its four-game stretch of games on the road to close the month of December at Marshall University (7-1) this Sunday. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. at the Henderson Center. The Spartans are still seeking their first win of the year.

Scouting NSU: NSU fell to 0-8 on the year after a 67-47 loss at William & Mary on Thursday night in Williamsburg, Va. The Spartans suffered a near 10-minute scoreless stretch, spanning part of the second and third quarters that proved to be too much to overcome. NSU outrebounded the Tribe 47-38, but NSU connected on just 34.5 percent from the floor and committed 25 turnovers in the ballgame. Siobhan Beslow was NSU's only double-digit scorer, with 10 points. She also pulled down nine rebounds. Both Kiara Phillips and Yazmen Hannah scored nine points, and Kayla Roberts grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds.

NSU has four players averaging at least 9.0 points per game, led by Beslow and Koryn Lawrence at 10.5 apiece. 
 
Scouting Marshall: The Thundering Herd (7-1) bounced back from their lone loss of the season to date by defeating St. Francis (Pa.) 81-73 on Thursday night in Huntington, W.Va. Freshman Shayna Gore scored 25 points to lead five Marshall players in double figures. Norrisha Victrum had 15, Leah Scott 14, Talequia Hamilton 11 and Taylor Porter 10. The St. Francis win came on the heels of a 66-60 loss to in-state rival West Virginia on Dec. 13.

Marshall went 17-15 last year and was picked to finish 10th in the 14-team Conference USA race this year. Scott was a preseason All-CUSA selection who is currently averaging a team-best 17.5 points per game.
 
All-Time Series vs. Marshall: Marshall leads the all-time series with NSU, 2-0. The teams met last season in Norfolk, with Marshall post player Chukwuka Ezeigbo scoring on a put-back with one second left to give the Herd a 73-71 win on Dec. 16, 2014. The teams' only other meeting was an 83-61 Marshall win in Huntington during the 2000-01 season.

Last Meeting: In the teams' last meeting, it appeared for much of the second half that NSU would spring the upset, but Chukwuka Ezeigbo's offensive rebound and layup following a Leah Scott miss lifted Marshall to a 73-71 win at Echols Hall on Dec. 16, 2014. The loss offset a memorable performance from NSU guard Rae Corbo, who scored a career-high and NSU Division I-era record 37 points in the loss. She was 13-of-22 from the floor, 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Kayla Roberts added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans.

AJ Johnson scored 19 points thanks to six 3-pointers, Ezeigbo had 16 points and Scott 11 for Marshall, which trailed by 13 points with 15 minutes to play.

Big on the Boards: Despite the loss Thursday, the Spartans had a strong night on the boards. For the first time since the U.Va. game (Nov. 16), NSU out-rebounded an opponent as the Spartans bested W&M 47-38 on the glass. NSU had 18 offensive rebounds in the game. Kayla Roberts had 16 rebounds, her season high. NSU had been outrebounded by 30 total boards in the previous three games.