GREENVILLE, N.C. – Norfolk State grabbed a brief lead inside the final two minutes of the game but could not hold on to it as East Carolina scored the final six points in the Spartans' 51-46 loss on Saturday afternoon.
Norfolk State (2-5) scored a season-low 46 points in the loss but scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to get back into the game. The Spartans shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) in the final period and out-scored the Pirates (4-4) 20-13.
NSU managed only 26 points on 8-of-35 (22.9 percent) shooting in the first three quarters combined. The Spartans did not make a single 3-point field goal for the first time since going 0-of-9 against Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 20, 2017 and finished the contest 0-of-12 from deep.
Norfolk State went ahead for just the second time in the game on
Raven Russell's second-chance layup with 1:50 left in the game. Russell gathered
Alexys Long's miss under the basket and immediately put it back up to give NSU a 46-45 lead.
However, the Pirates answered with a second-chance bucket of their own 15 seconds later to reclaim the lead at 47-46. ECU would not relinquish the lead again and scored the last four points of the game.
NSU trailed 14-7 after a low-scoring first quarter. The Spartans shot 1-of-10 from the field in the first and committed five turnovers.
Khadedra Croker made the Spartans' only field goal in the period at the 7:19 mark. Norfolk State did not score again until Long made a pair of free throws with 2:04 left in the period. Those free throws made the score 14-5, and Long made two more free throws with 59 seconds remaining to close out the scoring.
Norfolk State finally made another basket 28 seconds into the second quarter on
De'Janaire Deas jump shot. Deas found the bottom of the net less than a minute later to pull NSU to within three points, 14-11.
Deas two field goals were part of a 13-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters and gave the Spartans their first lead of the game.
Kayla Roberts knocked down both of her free throws to give NSU a 15-14 edge with 6:32 remaining. Croker capped the run with a shot from the charity stripe at the 5:50 mark, and NSU led 16-14.
Necole Hope scored the Pirates' first points in the second quarter on a layup at the 5:44 mark and the game was tied 16-16. ECU regained the lead 17 seconds later and built up a six-point halftime lead.
NSU came out of the intermission cold and shot 20 percent from the floor in the third quarter and was out-scored 13-6 in the period. Much like the first quarter, the Spartans suffered through an extended scoring drought in the third, going 5:26 seconds with a point.
Croker's layup at the 6:37 mark made the score 29-24, and NSU went without another point until Deas made a layup with 56 seconds left in the period. Between those two baskets, ECU went on a 9-0 run and built its largest lead of the game at 38-24.
Norfolk state scored the first five points of the fourth quarter and appeared poised for a comeback. Croker scored eight of her career-high 13 points in the fourth as the Spartans clawed back into the game.
Ariyana Williams tried to answer NSU's push and scored the Pirates' first seven points of the period. Her 3-pointer at the 7:14 mark gave ECU a 10-point lead and she connected from deep two minutes later to make the score 44-39. Those two treys were the only of the game as both teams combined to go 2-of-28 from deep.
The Spartans used a 10-0 run, capped by Russell's putback layup, to regain control of the lead. Russell scored the final four points of the game for NSU and ended the game with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting.
Williams led the Pirates with 13 points and was one of just three double-digit scorers in the game. Thais Oliveira also chipped in 10 points for ECU.
The Pirates won the rebounding battle 48-42 and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, which helped ameliorate 30.4 percent shooting for ECU.
Norfolk State takes a 10-day break before starting a two-game home stand. The Spartans return to action against Towson on Dec. 12 before playing UNCG three days later. Both games are scheduled for 6 p.m.
