Vickers Postgame Interview
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State women's basketball shot a season-low 13.0 percent from 3-point range and 26.4 percent overall on Friday, falling 55-44 to William & Mary in a grinding affair at Joseph Echols Hall.
Kendrea Dawkins was the lone Spartan in double figures on Friday, contributing 14 points in her first start of the season to match both her career high and the game high. Dawkins grabbed five rebounds and went 5-of-6 at the foul line, setting a new career high in foul shots made.
As a team, NSU (5-7) fared well at the charity stripe, making 13 of their 17 foul shots. The MEAC's best free-throw shooting team, the Spartans have shot 70 percent or better on free throws in eight games.
Harper Birdsong came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points for the Tribe (6-4). W&M's super substitute, Birdsong grabbed five rebounds and hit a game-best three 3-pointers. Two other players joined Birdsong in double figures. Victoria Reynolds chipped in 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds, and Bianca Boggs scored 10 with eight rebounds and four steals.
W&M led 11-9 after a slow-starting first quarter. The game was tied 5-5 with 4:41 left in the period before NSU went ahead for the only time in the game.
Khadedra Croker laid it in at the 3:24 mark to make the score 7-5.
Norfolk State's lead lasted only 29 seconds as Birdsong gave the Tribe the lead back on a 3-pointer.
Danyael Goodhope quickly knotted the score again with a free throw, but Birdsong's layup with 25 seconds remaining put W&M on top for good.
The Spartans struggled to make shots to start the second quarter, and the Tribe broke off an 8-0 run for a 19-9 advantage with under five minutes left in the half.
Reynolds started the quarter with a layup before a three-point play by Boggs less than 90 seconds later. Birdsong punctuated the run with a trey at the 4:55 mark of the half.
NSU did not break into the scoring column until there was three minutes and six seconds showing on the clock. Dawkins hit a pair of free throws, and the Spartans scored seven of the next nine points to cut the lead to five points.
Dawkins' jumper made the score 21-16 with 1:36 left to play, but Birdsong had yet another answer in the form of a 3-pointer.
The Spartans cut the lead to four points in the third quarter but allowed the Tribe to create separation to close out the period.
W&M scored the first four of the half, but a basket by Dawkins followed by a
Dana Echols trey brought NSU to within four, 28-24, with 6:24 left in the quarter.
As had been the case throughout the game, the Tribe halted Norfolk State's surge with a 3-pointer, this one coming from Reynolds. Emma Krause followed with a layup, and W&M led by nine, 33-24, at the midway mark of the period.
A pair of free throws by Dawkins and a
De'Janaire Deas layup made the margin five points with 3:58 left to play, but W&M scored the next four points.
The Tribe shot 50 percent in the third quarter and made half of their shots overall in the second half.
W&M built a 15-point advantage, its largest for the game, in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans fought to cut the deficit to single digits inside the final minute.
Once again, NSU began the quarter with a prolonged scoring drought, not recording a point until 4:30 had elapsed. Dawkins scored the Spartans' first points of the quarter on a layup to make the score 43-33, but the Tribe answered with a 7-2 run for their biggest lead of the game.
Krause's trey at the 2:42 mark put W&M up 50-35 with 2:42 left on the clock, but the Spartans netted the next six points, including back-to-back transition layups by Goodhope.
With time running out, NSU resorted to the foul game, but the Tribe made five of their final six foul shots to ice the win.
The two sides played to a draw in the rebounding battle, grabbing 34 misses apiece. NSU corralled nine offensive rebounds to W&M's six and held a 7-0 edge in second-chance points.
The Spartans gave the ball away 22 times, which led to 23 points from the Tribe. William & Mary turned it over 18 times but held NSU to 11 points off turnovers.
Norfolk State now has nine days to regroup before traveling to Wake Forest in the team's final non-conference game. The Spartans face the Demon Deacons on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 1 p.m.
