Postgame Press Conference | Postgame Radio Interview
NORFOLK, Va. – No. 4 seed Florida A&M used the long ball in the second half to eliminate fifth-seeded Norfolk State from the MEAC Tournament with an 80-73 victory on Thursday afternoon at the Scope Arena.
Jordan Strode registered a team-high 15 points as five Spartans (15-15) scored in double-digit scoring, but that was not enough to overtake the Rattlers (13-18). FAMU advances to a Friday semifinal against top seed Bethune-Cookman.
The Spartans, who led 43-35 at the half, scored five of the first seven points in the third quarter and led 48-37 when
Khalilah Ali finished a 3-point play with 5:26 remaining in the period. But that is when Florida A&M heated up and appeared unable to miss from field, especially from deep. The Rattlers hit 3-of-7 from behind the arc in the third quarter during an 18-8 run that all but erased NSU's lead. The Spartans, meanwhile, missed all four of their 3-point attempts in the period.
Despite the run, Norfolk State led 56-55 with 10 minutes remaining in the game. But Florida A&M continued its host shooting in the fourth, going 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from the field, including 4-of-4 from 3-point land, while the Spartans cooled off. Norfolk State went just 6-of-19 (31.6 percent), including 1-of-4 from deep, as the Rattlers outscored the Spartans 25-17 in the final stanza.
The final media timeout came with 4:50 left in regulation and Florida A&M led 64-61. The Rattlers utilized a 16-5 run over the next 4 minutes, 11 seconds to see their largest lead of the day at 14, when Victoria Nguyen converted two shots at the charity stripe with 39 seconds left. A late 7-0 run gave NSU a glimmer of hope, but the Spartans could not get closer than the final margin.
The Spartans came out the gate hot and knocked down 11 of their 16 field-goal attempts in the opening 10 minutes and led 24-18 after one period. They increased their lead by two and headed to the dressing room leading 43-35 after the first 20 minutes.
Kayla Roberts tallied 12 points on the afternoon, including her 1,000
th career point when she converted a three-point play with 2:25 left in the game. She
also grabbed five rebounds, which moved her into 10
th-place all-time in school history.
Off the bench,
Dominique Harper dropped in 12 points in her final game as a Spartan and
Shayla Tanner added a career-high 11 points.
Gabrielle Swinson recorded a career-high eight assists, which was half of the team's total of 16, to go with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Nguyen and Cedricka Sweeting both scored 16 points for FAMU. All four of Sweeting's 3-pointers came in the second half. Florence Ouattara added 15 points, while Shakerrya Morrison (13) and Alicia McCray (12) combined for 25 rebounds.
Norfolk State outscored Florida A&M 46-22 in the paint, while the two teams tallied 18 second-chance points each. FAMU held a 50-39 advantage on the glass, including 23 offensive rebounds.
With a 12-win improvement from last season's 3-24 record, NSU notched the best one-season turn-around in school history. The 15 wins matches the third-best tally in the school's Division I era and qualifies as the school's first .500 or better season since the 2001-02 team finished 22-9.
