NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State women's basketball continues its push through December on Wednesday night, when the Spartans (3-5) welcome Longwood to Joseph Echols Hall for a 6 p.m. tip. Wednesday's tilt is the second of six games this month for NSU and the first of three home dates.
 
The Opening Tip
La Salle scored 11 unanswered points to open the fourth quarter, breaking a 43-all deadlock, en route to a 62-52 win over Norfolk State on Sunday afternoon. The Explorers (1-8) snapped a 14-game losing streak dating back to last season and gave head coach Mountain MacGillivray his first win at the helm of the program.
 
La Salle could not be stopped in the final period, shooting 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the field and making four of its five attempts from deep. The Explorers made 31-percent of their treys in the game after entering the contest ranked 348th in Division I in 3-point field goal percentage.
 
Norfolk State (3-5) went cold from deep at the wrong time, missing six of its seven shots from 3-point range in the fourth quarter. After missing four treys in the first quarter, the Spartans shot 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) from deep in the second and third periods.
 
Deja King put the Explorers ahead for good with a foul shot 15 seconds into the fourth quarter. After a steal and layup by Rayshel Brown, Jeryn Reese netted the next eight points as La Salle pushed its lead to 54-43 with 6:31 to go.
 
Norfolk State went scoreless for nearly five minutes down the stretch run. During that span, the Spartans missed six-straight shots and turned the ball over twice as La Salle built a 62-50 advantage. Alexys Long's transition layup with 12 seconds remaining broke NSU's scoring drought and produced the final margin.
 
In a game of two halves, the Explorers made 48.1 percent of their shots from the field in the final two quarters, including six of their 10 3-pointers. In the first half, La Salle shot 33.3 percent from the field and 3-of-19 from deep.
 
Norfolk State turned the ball over 26 times in the loss, 13 times in each half. La Salle scored 19 points off those giveaways. While the Explorers only committed 14 turnovers, the Spartans netted 17 points from them.
 
Raven Russell was one of three Spartans to score in double figures on Sunday and led the team with 15 points. The senior shot 6-of-14 from the field, grabbed six rebounds and assisted on two baskets. Long added a season-high 14 points, and Kendrea Dawkins contributed 11 points from the bench with a career-high three 3-pointers.
 
Sizing up Longwood
The Lancers aim to improve to 2-0 against MEAC competition on Wednesday but enter the contest on a two-game losing streak.
 
Head coach Rebecca Tillett earned her first win on the Lancers' bench on Nov. 27, when Longwood defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 83-71. LU started out hot in that game, shooting 62.5 percent from the field in the first quarter en route to a 23-16 edge. For the game, the Lancers made 52.5-percent of their shots while holding the Hawks to 33.8-percent from the floor.
 
Since the victory over Maryland Eastern Shore, Longwood has dropped home games to St. Francis (Pa.) (91-88) and Wofford (101-72). Wofford made half of its shots from the floor and from beyond the 3-point arc, going 14-of-28 from long range.
 
On the season, the 3-point arc has been an area of concern for the Lancers. LU ranks 342nd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (21.3), 313th in 3-point field goals per game (4.0) and 347th in 3-point field goal defense (41.7).
 
Longwood is led in scoring by junior Dayna Rouse. The Pittsburgh native nets 14.8 per game, ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage (65.9) and is an 80-percent shooter from the foul line. Mallory Odell contributes nearly a double-double on a nightly basis, averaging 10.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. The sophomore also ranks 76th nationally in boards per game.
 
Head coach Rebecca Tillett joined Longwood following three seasons at Navy and served as associate head coach in 2017-18. The Mids' defensive coordinator, Tillett coached Navy to the Patriot League's best scoring defense twice. In addition, the Midshipmen ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense in 2017-18.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore is the lone shared opponent on the Lancers' schedule. Longwood and ODU were scheduled to play in Norfolk on Nov. 29, but an anonymous security threat to ODU's campus forced the cancellation of the game.
 
All-Time Series vs. Longwood
Wednesday marks the 15th meeting all-time between the two programs. Longwood and Norfolk State first met on Feb. 27, 1975 in the Virginia Federation of Intercollegiate Sports for Women Tournament. In their first year as a program, the Spartans bested the Lancers 54-35. Following that first meeting, the two sides met at least once in each of the next six seasons.
 
After a 20-year hiatus, the series resumed in the 2004-05 season with a pair of games. Longwood took three of the first four games in the new millennium before the series took yet another break.
 
Dating back to the 2016-17 season, the Spartans have won back-to-back road games against the Lancers. Last year, NSU capped its non-conference schedule with a 64-45 win.
 
The Spartans limited Longwood to 27.1-percent shooting last season, including a mark of 28.0 percent from deep. NSU made six of its 13 shots from deep (46.2 percent) with two coming from Long.
 
Norfolk State matched its second-lowest turnover output of the season in last year's contest, giving the ball away only 14 times. LU turned it over 24 times, which led to 23 points for the Spartans.
 
NSU vs. the Big South Conference
The Spartans are 64-80 all-time against current members of the Big South Conference. NSU holds winning marks over Campbell (4-1), Gardner-Webb (3-0), Longwood (9-5) and USC Upstate (4-3) and is 2-2 against High Point.
 
Head coach Larry Vickers owns a 6-6 mark against current Big South Members and is 2-0 against Longwood. The Spartans dropped their first game against a Big South opponent this season, falling to Campbell 57-49. NSU's next opponent also hails from the Big South conference. The Spartans travel to face High Point on Saturday.
 
What's Next?
Norfolk State sandwiches two home games between a pair of road contests to wrap up the 2018 calendar year. The Spartans travel to High Point on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game before hosting St. Augustine's at 6 p.m. next Tuesday and William & Mary on Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. After a week-long break, NSU heads to Wake Forest for a 1 p.m. tip on Dec. 30.