DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A season-low 45-point outing by the offense coupled with 20-point games by Angel Golden and Emily Williams added up to a 60-45 loss for Norfolk State women's basketball on Monday night at Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 
The Spartans (12-9, 5-4 MEAC) had no answer for Golden and Williams as the duo combined for 40 points on 13-of-25 shooting. Two teammates had not scored 20 or more on NSU in the same game since Delaware State's Mikah Aldridge and NaJai Pollard dropped 21 apiece on Jan. 16, 2017.
 
Kayla Roberts nearly had a 20-point game herself, finishing Monday night with 19 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Lady Wildcats (17-4, 9-0) led 10-7 after a first quarter where both offenses struggled. Neither team scored for nearly three minutes to start the game, and Ashanti Hunt broke a scoreless tie with a jumper at the 7:04 mark.
 
The Spartans scored only three points in the first six minutes of action and did not record a field goal until De'Janaire Deas' layup with 1:52 to play in the quarter. Kendrea Dawkins scored in the final minute of the period to make the score 8-7, but two free throws by Williams gave the Lady Wildcats the 10-7 lead.
 
NSU shot just 2-of-7 in the quarter and gave the ball away seven times. B-CU managed only 30.8 percent from the field in the period.
 
Armani Franklin's layup pulled Norfolk State to within two, 13-11, with 8:07 to play in the second quarter, but the Lady Wildcats pulled away on the strength of a 19-7 run to close out the half. Golden scored 11 points for B-CU during the run while going 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
 
Alexys Long connected from deep with 7:03 remaining in the half, but NSU went without points until Roberts scored at the 4:28 mark. The Spartans did not score again until Franklin laid it to make the score 30-18 with 36 seconds to play.
 
The Lady Wildcats scored the first seven of the second half to build a 39-18 lead – their largest of the game – with 7:46 left in the third. NSU then halted the run with five-straight of its own – all by Roberts.
 
Roberts converted a 3-point play with 6:33 remaining to pull the Spartans to within 16 at 39-23. NSU narrowed the deficit to 16 on multiple occasions in the period, but B-CU always found an answer as twice Williams hit from deep to push the lead to 19.
 
Raven Russell scored the final points of the third to send the Spartans to the fourth quarter down 16, 50-34. The junior guard had 11 points for NSU on Monday on 4-of-8 shooting and chipped in eight rebounds.
 
Roberts scored the first three points of the fourth quarter to bring NSU to within 13 at 50-37, but Bethune-Cookman went on a 7-0 run to increase its lead to 20 points.
 
With 3:59 left in the game the B-CU lead remained at 20, but the Spartans closed out on a 7-2 run. Roberts hit on a trey with 3:53 to play, and Russell scored four points on a pair of free throws and a layup.
 
NSU shot just 30.2 percent from the floor in the game and 3-of-12 from deep. The Spartans committed 17 turnovers, which led to 13 points for B-CU.
 
The Lady Wildcats narrowly out-rebounded NSU 39-35. Chasimmie Brown grabbed a game-high 10 boards for B-CU.
 
Bethune-Cookman became just the second team to record more blocks than NSU this season – finishing with 10. Lyndsey Edwards matched an opponent individual high with five rejections.
 
Norfolk State now prepares for the first round of the Battle of the Bay, traveling to Hampton for a 4 p.m. showdown on Saturday. The Spartans then host Delaware State on Feb. 12.