OXFORD, Miss. – A scoring drought of six minutes and 28 seconds spanning the first and second quarters undid a blazing start as Norfolk State women's basketball fell to Ole Miss, 60-42, in a defensive struggle at The Pavilion at Ole Miss on Tuesday night.
The Spartans (0-1) scored the first eight points of the contest and led for most of the quarter before stalling out on offense.
Alexys Long netted NSU's first points of the season on a 3-pointer just seven seconds into the game. Another trey, this one coming from
Raven Russell, and a bucket by
Khadedra Croker put the Spartans ahead 8-0 with 8:33 left in the quarter.
Another Russell basket gave Norfolk State an 11-2 edge with 7:30 to play in the quarter, but the Rebels (1-0) answered with a 10-0 run over the next 6:30 of action to go ahead 12-11 and held a 14-13 lead at the end of the period.
After making its first four shots, Norfolk State closed out the period by missing nine of its next 10 attempts and turning the ball over seven times. The Spartans committed 24 turnovers over the course of the game, leading to 24 points for Ole Miss.
Norfolk State's offensive struggles continued into the second quarter, as the Spartans did not record a point until the 4:33 mark. During that span, the Rebels scored eight unanswered to build up a 22-13 lead.
La'Deja James broke the seal for NSU in the second quarter on a fast break layup following a takeaway from
Zairya West. That bucket ended a scoring drought of 6:28, which began late in the first quarter.
James' breakaway did not kick start the Spartans, who made just one more shot in the first half. However, Norfolk State fed on a steady diet of foul shots in the latter stages of the quarter to stay within striking range. The Spartans went to the line six times in the final 3:42 of the half, burying every attempt.
Kendrea Dawkins made both of her shots at the line and knocked down NSU's only other basket of the quarter, a trey with 1:16 remaining, for five quick points to close out the half.
Dawkins ended the game with seven points and three rebounds. She also recorded a pair of steals, matching her career high.
The start of the second half played out much like the start of the first, as NSU blitzed the Rebels and cut the deficit to six with 7:07 to play.
Long netted five of her 10 points within three minutes of the intermission, and
Dana Echols scored on a jumper to make the score 39-33. Ole Miss survived this early push and built an 11-point lead at 44-33 with 6:02 to play. From then, the Rebels successfully kept NSU at arm's length, as the Spartans made just two of their final eight shots of the quarter while turning the ball over three times.
Norfolk State entered the fourth quarter trailing by nine, 48-39, and after six minutes of action in the period, the deficit remained the same. Crystal Allen answered an Echols' layup with a pair of free throws at the four minute mark to put the Rebels ahead 53-42, and Ole Miss ended the game on a 9-0 run.
The Spartans missed their final eight shots of the game, while Allen scored seven straight to finish with a game-high 16 points.
Norfolk State shot 26.5 percent (13-of-49) from the field for the game but excelled at the charity stripe, making 12 of its 14 attempts (85.7 percent).
Ole Miss managed 39-percent shooting from the floor but struggled from beyond the 3-point arc and at the foul line. However, the Rebels enjoyed a 43-34 edge in rebounds, including a 16-9 margin on the offensive glass. Jhileiya Dunlap turned in a double-double for Ole Miss with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
The Spartans return to the court on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. road date at inter-city rival Old Dominion.
