GREENSBORO, N.C. – Norfolk State women's basketball dropped a tightly-contested game, 53-51, to North Carolina A&T on Wednesday night at Corbett Sports Center.
 
The Spartans (12-7, 5-2 MEAC) held the Lady Aggies (12-7, 7-0) to 31.8 percent shooting from the field, but N.C. A&T found enough points off turnovers and in the open court to win the game.
 
NSU committed a season-high 25 turnovers in the loss, which led to 22 points by the Lady Aggies. North Carolina A&T also held a 16-2 edge in fastbreak points.
 
Raven Russell led the Spartans with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Kendrea Dawkins, Russell's former teammate at Shelton State Community College, matched a season-high with 10 points and was the only other NSU player to break double figures.
 
Kala Green led all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Green made the only 3-pointer of the game for the Lady Aggies, who shot 6.7 percent (1-of-15) from deep – a season-low in 3-point percentage by an NSU opponent.
 
A slow start to the game by both teams saw the game tied 6-6 with 3:51 to play in the first quarter. A Yazmen Hannah free throw put the Spartans up 7-6, but the Lady Aggies scored the next four to lead 10-7 with 3:05 remaining.
 
Norfolk State held N.C. A&T scoreless for the final 3:05 of the quarter and scored nine-straight to lead 16-10 heading to the second period. Hannah tied the score at 10-10 on a 3-pointer, and Armani Franklin gave NSU the lead on a made free throw. From there, the Spartans scored two baskets in the final minute to lead by six.
 
After shooting only 26.7 percent in the first quarter, the Lady Aggies offense came alive in the second and out-scored NSU 17-13. The Spartans turned the ball over seven times in the period and conceded nine points off those giveaways.
 
Cinia McCray tied the game at 18 on a free throw two minutes and 35 seconds into the quarter, but Hannah had an answer with her second trey of the game. The Hickory, N.C. native shot 2-of-5 from deep in the game and is hitting on 47.1 percent of her treys over the last nine games.
 
N.C. A&T tied the game at 23-23 with 4:17 to play on the half, but Dawkins went on a personal 6-0 run to put the Spartans ahead 29-23 with 2:53 to go.
 
The Lady Aggies responded with four-straight points to close the half and trailed 29-27 at the break.
 
NSU's offense stalled out in the third quarter, which allowed N.C. A&T to take the lead for good. The Spartans made only two of their 13 attempts from the field – including 0-of-6 from deep – while turning the ball over seven times.
 
The Lady Aggies scored the first basket of the half to tie the game 29-29, and the score was knotted at 31-31 with 7:12 to play in the period.
 
Russell converted an and-one opportunity to give NSU a 34-31 lead with 6:09 to go, and the Spartans managed to keep between one and three points between themselves and the competition for the next four-plus minutes.
 
The Lady Aggies stole the ball twice in the final 13 seconds of the quarter and scored three-straight points to take their first lead since being on top 10-7 with 3:05 to play in the first quarter.
 
Norfolk State worked furiously to regain the lead, but its fourth-quarter comeback bid fell short. The Spartans made half of their shots in the final 10 minutes while holding N.C. A&T to 22.2 percent.
 
NSU missed its first two shots while Green scored four straight as it appeared the Lady Aggies were pulling away, but Kayla Roberts, who battled foul trouble throughout the game, scored the next three to cut the deficit in half.
 
Roberts played just 21 minutes – 10 fewer than her season average – while juggling four personal fouls. The senior guard/forward scored a season-low five points but did corral 10 rebounds.
 
Green knocked down a jumper with 7:38 to go, and N.C. A&T led by five, 46-41. From there, their lead fluctuated between three and five points until the final minute of the game.
 
The Lady Aggies scored with 5:44 left in the period, then both teams failed to score for nearly three minutes. Roberts broke the dry spell with a pair of free throws at the 2:56 mark, but both teams went quiet again.
 
Still down three, Khadedra Croker was fouled while attempting a layup with 27 seconds remaining. She finished through the contact but failed to convert the and-one and tie the game.
 
Unable to force a turnover, NSU turned to the foul game, but the Lady Aggies made three of their four from the charity stripe in the final 10 seconds of the game.  Russell made the score 53-51 on a layup with three seconds remaining, but N.C. A&T dribbled out the remainder of the clock.
 
The Spartans out-rebounded the Lady Aggies, but N.C. A&T grabbed 17 offensive rebounds – seven more than NSU. Alexxus Lessears led all players with 14 boards.
 
Croker and Dawkins blocked two shots apiece for NSU. Croker's second rejection gave her 60 this season – the most recorded by a Spartan in a single season since joining Division-I in 1997-98. The Suffolk, Virginia native needs only six more to break Norfolk State's all-time single-season record.
 
The Spartans return home to play Morgan State on Saturday at 4 p.m.