NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State women's basketball looks to end 2018 and the non-conference portion of its schedule on a high note, when it travels to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for a Sunday afternoon game against Wake Forest at 1 p.m. The Spartans (5-7) look to score the road upset and enter MEAC play with a wave of momentum.
The Opening Tip
Norfolk State shot a season-low 13.0 percent from 3-point range and 26.4 percent overall in its last game, falling 55-44 to William & Mary on Dec. 21
Kendrea Dawkins was the lone Spartan in double figures, 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.
Harper Birdsong came off the bench to score 14 points for the Tribe (6-4). 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.
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. NSU did not break into the scoring column until there was three minutes and six seconds showing on the clock.
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. The Tribe made five of their last six free throws inside the final minute to ice the game away.
As a team, NSU 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.
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.
Sizing up Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons (8-4) look to collect their ninth non-conference victory of the season and enter ACC play on a five-game winning streak.
Wake Forest notched their fourth-straight win in its last game, a 58-44 win over South Carolina State in the Carolinas College Challenge. Three players in Elisa Penna (16), Alex Sharp (15) and Ona Udoh (15) scored in double figures for the Demon Deacons.
Penna leads WF in scoring at 15.1 points per game and is one of the ACC's leading marksman, ranking sixth in the conference in treys per game (2.4) and 11th in 3-point field goal accuracy (33.8).
Against the Bulldogs, Udoh grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year. Udoh ranks 11th nationally with a 63.2 field goal percentage, is third in the ACC in rebounds per game (10.0) and is second in the conference with 2.0 blocks per contest.
The Deacs' calling card is defense and rebounding. WF ranks 61st in the country in scoring defense (57.4) and is fifth in the ACC in both total rebounds (42.6) and rebounding margin (plus-9.8). This year, Wake Forest has out-rebounded the competition in each of its first 12 games.
All-Time Series vs. Wake Forest
The Spartans and Deacs meet for only the second time on Sunday.
Wake Forest took the series' first meeting, beating NSU 75-46 at home on Feb. 20, 2002. The Spartans' offense fell off in the second half of that game, shooting just 23.5 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from the 3-point line after halftime.
Suawana Taylor was the lone Spartan to score in double figures in that game, posting 14 points and six rebounds. NSU's four other starters combined to produce just seven points on 2-of-20 shooting.
Tonia Brown paced Wake Forest with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
NSU vs. the ACC
The Spartans are 8-16 all-time against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. NSU does not have a winning mark against any current ACC foe, but is 5-5 all-time against Virginia.
Sunday marks Norfolk State's first game against an ACC opponent since the Spartans lost 86-50 at Virginia on Nov. 16, 2015.
Norfolk State is a combined 8-20 against teams currently in one of the Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big XII, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC). The Spartans' last victory over a current Power 5 program came against Virginia, 57-53, way back on Dec. 4, 1979, since then NSU has lost 17-straight to current Power 5 members.
NSU opened the season with a 60-42 loss at Ole Miss. Prior to this season, the Spartans had not played two games against Power 5 competition in the same season since 2001-02, when NSU faced off against Wake Forest in the regular season and drew Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament East Regional.
The Spartans faced both Miami (Fla.) and Utah in the 2008-09 season, but the Utes were members of the Mountain West Conference at the time.
What's Next?
The Spartans' 16-game MEAC slate begins on Saturday, Jan. 5, when NSU hosts Delaware State at 4 p.m. Norfolk State, who was picked to finish third in the conference, look top its 11-5 mark in MEAC contests last season.
