Norfolk State Women's Basketball Host Saint Augustine's

NSU vs Saint Augustine's	Tuesday, Nov. 15	5:30 p.m. EST	Echols Hall
Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM	Live Video	Live Stats	Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State women's basketball team plays its first home game of the 2016-17 season when it hosts the Saint Augustine's University Falcons on Tuesday night. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m. at Echols Hall. The Spartans will be looking to bounce back from a loss in their season-opener with UNC Wilmington on Friday evening, while the Falcons will be looking to improve to 2-1 on the young season.
 
Media Coverage: The game will be broadcast live on the Norfolk State Sports Network on WNSB 91.1 FM or online at http://hot91.nsu.edu:8000/128 . Ross Gordon and Julee O'Neal will have your play-by-play and color commentary, respectively.

Fans can also follow along with the live stats and the live video feed.

Series History: Norfolk State leads the all-time series with Saint Augustine's 19-6. It has been nearly 20 years since the former CIAA rivals met on the hardwood on Feb. 13, 1997. The Spartans have won 10 consecutive games against the Falcons. The last time the Falcons defeated Norfolk State was during the 1991-92 season, 102-98, on Feb. 18, 1992, at Echols Hall. Former Spartan great Michelle Sessoms recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. All-American LaTina Bullock dropped in 23 points in the first meeting that season.

About Saint Augustines: The Falcons are coming off a 55-43 victory over Columbia International in the Southern Wesleyan Tip-Off Tournament Saturday afternoon. Shakeisha Washington scored 13 points including five in the fourth quarter when the Lady Falcons outscored the Rams 19-7.  Former NSU guard Quiera Gilmore scored eight points and Kiana Clark added seven points and nine rebounds. Kamya Renwicks contributed seven points and four steals for the Lady Falcons, who totaled 17 steals including five in the final period. Kaaliya Williams from Richmond, Va. added three steals in addition to six points, five rebounds and three assists.

Last Time Out: The Spartans dropped their season-opener at UNC Wilmington, 64-56, as Seahawks forward Jenny DeGraaf notched a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. UNCW also got 14 points from Raque Madison and nine points and 10 rebounds from Rebekah Banks.  Senior guards Dominique Harper and Jordan Strode led the way for the Spartans. Harper registered 14 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Strode, a St. Joseph's transfer, tallied a career-high 14 points, with three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.

Dynamic Duo: Graduate transfer guard Jordan Strode and senior guard Dominique Harper combined for half of the team's 56 points in the season opening loss to UNCW. Strode tallied 14 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in her debut for the Spartans. Harper had one of her best games in the green and gold, notching 14 points, five rebounds, one assists and two steals. The two helped to pace Norfolk States offense that came out cold in its first game.

The Swinson Swipe: Junior college transfer Gabrielle Swinson leads the MEAC after compiling six steals, which led the team in her first action as a member of the Spartans. As a team, Norfolk State had 13 steals in the game. Swinson also led the team with three assists and added three points and two rebounds. The last time a Spartan recorded at least six steals was when Koryn Lawrence tallied seven against Howard, on Feb. 29, 2016. That is also the last time Norfolk State had at least 13 steals in a game as a team.

Roberts Named Preseason All-MEAC: Junior forward Kayla Roberts was voted to the All-MEAC preseason second team in October. The 6-1 frontcourt standout from Miami finished 10th in the MEAC in rebounding last season, at 7.7 per game, and ranked 24th in the conference in scoring, at 10.1 points per outing.

Interim Tag Removed: After taking over the team on Jan. 20, Larry Vickers took over the program. He went 3-8 in the last 11 games of the season. The three wins were the only wins by the Spartans for the season. He was entrusted with the program and named the permant head coach shortly after the season. Prior to taking over the women's program, Vickers spent eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Norfolk State men's basketball program, including the last three as the associate head coach. Vickers also held the title of recruiting coordinator for the program. He also played for the Spartans from 2004-07.

Sister Act Two: Nia Roberts rejoins sister Kayla on the Spartans roster after redshirting last season due to health issues. At one point she had considered hanging up her sneakers for good, but has decided to give it one more shot. During Kayla's stellar freshman year when she was named MEAC Rookie of the Year and averaged 12.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, Nia averaged 6.6 points and 7.4 rebounds a game in 2014-15 after transferring from Buffalo. The Roberts are 1-of-18 sets of sisters playing as teammates in Division 1 women's basketball.  

Newcomers to Play Key Roles: Six newcomers could see action this season:
- Junior point guard Gabrielle Swinson, a transfer from Bryant and Stratton, was named to the 2015 National Junior College Athletic Association Division II All-American team after averaging 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.8 steals per game. She followed it up with 17.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals last season.
- Saint Joseph's graduate transfer guard Jordan Strode will help fill the void left by Lawrence in the backcourt. She averaged 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds per game last season. Strode played for Hickory Ridge High School in Charlotte, N.C.
- Longwood graduate transfer forward Khalilah Ali was a local high school star who saw limited action after recovering from health issues that plagued her 2014-15 campaign.
-Freshman De'Janaire Deas should add depth to the front court.  She averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks per game as a senior and surpassed the  1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds plateau in her high-school career at Academy of Holy Names in Albany, N.Y.
- Freshman wing player Tyona Moses should averaged 22.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game over her four-year career at Goldsboro, High School in Goldsboro, N.C.

Croker, Hannah Out: The Spartans will be without two players this season. Local product junior forward/center Khadedra Croker will sit out the season due to NCAA transfer rules after spending the last two seasons in Blacksburg, Va. as a member of the Virginia Tech Hokies. Sophomore guard Yazmen Hannah, who was named to the 2015-16 All-MEAC Rookie Team, is still recovering from off-season knee surgery. She is expected to miss the entire season.

Phillips Emerges as a Threat: Though maybe overlooked because of the play of Roberts and Beslow last season, guard Kiara Phillips should be an important piece to the success of the Spartans this season. She averaged 7.4 points per game which ranked fifth on the team, with 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season. Phillips led the team with an 87.2 percent free-throw shooting percentage. She has had many stops throughout her career which began in Melbourne, Australia. Her first stop was at Pasadena City College before transferring to Gulf Coast State College in Florida which is where she met her fiance and current NSU men's basketball team member Jonathan Wade. Her sister plays professionally in Australia.