NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State women's basketball looks to break out of a three-game losing streak while staking claim to regional bragging rights when it clashes with Hampton on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the first round of the Battle of the Bay.
 
The Spartans then return to Echols Hall and kick off a three-game home stand against Delaware State on Monday at 4 p.m.
 
 
Media Coverage
Saturday's game can be viewed live and will be broadcast on Hot 91.1 FM and http://hot91.nsu.edu:8000/128. Live stats are also available.
 
Monday's game can be heard live featuring play-by-play commentary by Ross Gordon on Hot 91.1 FM and online at http://hot91.nsu.edu:8000/128. A live stream through Spartan Showcase Video Streaming and live stats are available.
 
Series History
Saturday marks the 95th installment of the Battle of the Bay, a rivalry that spans back to the 1974-75 season. Norfolk State won the first nine meetings and 15 of the first 18, but Hampton has owned the series since the turn of the century, going 33-6 since the 2000-01 season.
 
The Lady Pirates swept the season series last year, picking up a 58-57 road win and a 77-65 victory at home. HU out-scored NSU 28-14 in the fourth quarter to erase a 43-30 deficit at Echols Hall on Jan. 21.
 
Hampton then completed the sweep at home on Feb. 27 behind hot shooting and a 25-point outing by Monnazjae Finney-Smith. The Lady Pirates shot 46.4 percent from the floor and 72.7 (8-of-11) from deep. Finney-Smith made nine of her 13 shots and did not miss on five attempts from deep.
 
NSU and DSU are meeting for the 44th time, and the Spartans trail in the all-time series 20-23. Norfolk State has owned the series since the 2011-12 season, going 8-2 in that span, including a two-game sweep last season.
 
The Opening Tip
Norfolk State (12-9, 5-4 MEAC) dropped its third-straight game on Monday, falling on the road to Bethune-Cookman by the score of 60-45. The Spartans recorded a season-low in points scored while the Lady Wildcats' Angel Golden and Emily Williams scored 20 apiece.
 
Kayla Roberts nearly joined the 20-point club as well, finishing the game with 19 points, nine rebounds, one steal and a blocked shot. Roberts shot 6-of-17 from the field while her teammates combined to go 10-of-36.
 
Ashanti Hunt broke a scoreless tie with a jumper at the 7:04 mark of the 1st quarter, and Bethune-Cookman never trailed. The Lady Wildcats closed out the first half on a 19-7 run and led 32-18 at the break.
 
B-CU scored the first seven on the third quarter to build its largest lead of the night at 39-18. The Lady Wildcats were up by 20 with 3:59 to play, but NSU ended the game on a 7-2 run.
 
Bethune-Cookman shot 39.2 percent from the field and an opponent season-high 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from 3-point range. Golden knocked down four treys, and Williams accounted for the other three.
 
NSU shot only 30.2 from the field and made just a quarter of its long-range attempts. The Spartans also turned the ball over 17 times and were out-rebounded 39-35.
 
Scouting Hampton
The Lady Pirates (11-12, 7-3) saw their three-game win streak come to an end on Thursday night as Howard rallied from a 12-point deficit to win 68-63 in the nation's capital.
 
Hampton led 8-5 after a low-scoring first period. The game opened up in the second quarter, and HU took a 12-point lead, 31-19, with two minutes to go in the half.
 
Howard was hot from long range in the third quarter, going 5-of-7 from deep in the period to take a 50-48 lead to the fourth quarter. Hampton tied the score four times in the fourth but could never reclaim the lead. Asia McCants broke a 59-all tie with a pair of free throws with 2:14 to play, and Howard went 7-of-8 from the foul line in the closing stretch to ice the game away.
 
Four Lady Pirates netted double-digit points in the loss, led by K'lynn Willis and Ashley Bates (13). Finney-Smith and Allina Starr both recorded double-doubles in the loss, with Finney-Smith pulling down a game-high 15 boards to go along with 12 points.
 
Finney-Smith leads the Lady Pirates and is tied for 11th in the MEAC in scoring at 12.1 per game. She also averages 6.5 boards per contest, which is 13th in the conference.
 
Hampton leads the conference with 12.5 steals per game -- two more per game than second-best MDES. A whopping five Lady Pirates average at least 1.8 steals per contest, led by Willis' 2.7.
 
Last season, HU finished third in the regular-season standings at 11-5 but won the MEAC Tournament to earn an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, where it fell to Duke in the opening round. This year, Hampton was picked to win the conference.
 
Scouting Delaware State
DSU (4-19, 3-7) was swept by the North Carolina schools last week, falling 76-60 to N.C. Central and 75-55 to N.C. A&T.
 
MEAC Preseason Player of the Year NaJai Pollard leads Delaware State in points per game (17.9), rebounds per game (7.7) and field goal percentage (48.1) while also assisting on 1.1 makes per game.
 
NSU vs. the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Norfolk State enters its 21st season of competition in the MEAC. In those 20-plus seasons the Spartans have accrued a 129-214 mark in conference games. NSU has just three seasons with a winning conference record, including a 9-7 result last year. The Spartans have never turned in consecutive winning seasons in the MEAC.
 
NSU is still searching for its first regular-season MEAC title and has just one tournament title to show, having won the 2002 MEAC Tournament.
 
Many MEAC teams are former CIAA rivals of the Spartans, and NSU is 211-263 all-time against teams currently in the MEAC with winning records over Maryland Eastern Shore (25-16), Morgan State (21-15), North Carolina Central (20-7), South Carolina State (21-18) and Savannah State (7-6).
 
Head Coach Larry Vickers is in his second full season of MEAC play and is 17-18 in conference action. Vickers has a winning record against four MEAC opponents and is .500 against three other teams.
 
Those Smothering Spartans
Through 21 games this season, Norfolk State has been one of the most-prolific shot-blocking teams in the nation. NSU averages 7.4 rejections per game, which is second in D-I. The Spartans' 156 total blocks also rank second nationally. NSU has recorded more blocks than its opponent in 15 of its 21 games and has lost the block battle only twice.
 
NSU rejected VCU 14 times in its season opener. Those 14 blocks are tied for the fifth-most in a single game in Division-I this season. Khadedra Croker accounted for seven of those blocks, and that mark is tied for the 25th-most by an individual in D-I this year.
 
Croker has been an intimidating force in the paint and leads the MEAC while ranking sixth in D-I with 3.4 blocks per game. The redshirt junior has recorded a block in 18 of 19 games this season with multiple rejections in 16 contests.
 
NSU is second in the MEAC in scoring defense (57.4 points per game) and first in defensive field goal percentage (33.3 percent).
 
On the national level, the Spartans rank third in defensive field goal percentage and 37th in scoring defense.
 
Norfolk State set the program's Division-I record for fewest points allowed in a game in its 53-27 win over Campbell on Dec. 18 while limiting the Fighting Camels to 14.6 percent shooting. This season, the Spartans have held 17 of their 21 opponents below their season average in scoring.
 
NSU has held opponents to single-digit points in a quarter 12 times this season, including a season-high three times against Campbell. Additionally, Spartan opponents have shot less than 20 percent from the field in a quarter on 10 occasions.
 
The Spartans finish off possessions with hard work on the glass. NSU is third in the MEAC in total rebounding (40.3) and second in defensive rebounds per contest (27.5). The Spartans are also third in the conference in defensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 66.3 percent of their opponent's misses.
 
Last season, the Spartans ranked third in the MEAC in scoring defense, allowing only 57.8 points per game. Opponents shot just 33.4 percent from the field against NSU, which ranked third nationally. NSU blocked nearly six shots per game last season -- a mark that topped the MEAC and ranked sixth in Division I. The Spartans set the DI program record in total blocks (178) and trailed only the 1991-1992 team for the most rejections (211) in team history.
 
Spartan Spotlight
Kayla Roberts

• Scored her 1,000th-career point against Florida A&M in the 2017 MEAC Tournament Quarterfinals.
• First all-time in blocked shots (139). Ranks in the top-10 in seven career categories and is top-20 in four other categories.
• Is 10th in all-time (1,298) points and ranks 18th in per-game (12.1) scoring at NSU.
• 2x MEAC Defensive Player of the Week selection in 2017-18 (Nov. 21, Nov. 28). Also named MEAC Player of the Week on Dec. 19.
• Recorded two double-doubles this season and has 28 in her career.
• Has 67-career double-digit scoring games (15-career 20-point games).
• Has led NSU in scoring 40 times, in rebounds 58 times, in blocks 39 times and in steals 31 times in her career (ties included).
• Is third in the MEAC in per-game scoring (14.9).
• Ranks ninth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.4).
• Is fifth in the conference and 119th in the nation in blocks per game (1.5).
• Second in the MEAC in defensive rebounds per game (5.7).
• Ranks fourth in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage (37.2).
• Tied for 15th in the conference and is 242nd in D-I in steals per game (1.8).
• Ranks 121st among active Division-I players in career points and is 18th in  career rebounding average and 21st in rebounds in D-I.
• Has the 35th-most double-doubles among active D-I players.

 
Khadedra Croker

• Set the D-I era record for most blocks in a single-season (60) against North Carolina A&T and now has 64
• Blocked seven shots at VCU in season opener, those are tied for the fifth-most by a Spartan in a single game, are tied for the 25th-most blocks in D-I and are tied for the most blocks by a MEAC player this year.
• Recorded a block in 17 of 18 games this season and blocked multiple shots in 15 games.
• Earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Dec. 19, Dec. 26 and Jan. 30.
• Scored the game-winning bucket with 4.2 seconds remaining against UNCG.
• Reached double figures in scoring (10) for the first time vs. St. Francis Brooklyn and has done so for four times.
• Set career highs with 19 points and three assists at William & Mary.
• Ranks sixth nationally in blocks per game (3.4) and 14th in total blocks.
• Owns the 13th-best field goal percentage in the MEAC (42.2).

 
Alexys Long

• Is shooting 48.1 percent from deep this season, the best mark in D-I program history and the second-best mark all-time.
• Ranks second in career 3-point field goal percentage (41.1).
• Set career bests in points (29) and field goals (eight) while matching career highs in 3-point field goals made (five) at Savannah State.
• Had her first 10-rebound game against Bowling Green.
• Has scored in double-figures in eight games this season.
• Is first in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage and is fifth in 3-point field goals made per game (1.8).
• Is 23rd in scoring in the MEAC (10.0).

 
Raven Russell

• Broke the 20-point barrier for the first time with 21 points against Towson on Dec. 12, 2017.
• Made all 12 of her free throws at S.C. State. Tied for the sixth-most free throws in a single game by a NSU player.
• Notched first double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds at Savannah State.
• Had a season-high seven assists vs. Towson.
• Scored 13 points in her Spartan debut against VCU. Shot 2-for-5 from deep and shared the game high in steals (4).
• Has 13 games with double-figure points this year.
• Is 16th in the MEAC in per-game scoring (10.9).
• Ranks third in the conference with a 48.5 field goal percentage. Also sixth in the conference in free throw percentage (74.1).
• Shares the sixth-best single-season field goal percentage (48.1) in NSU's D-I era.

 
Armani Franklin

• Led all bench scorers with 10 points at VCU.
• Led all players with seven assists and shared the game high in steals (4) vs. VCU.
• Started first career game vs. Bowling Green.
• Made 6-of-8 free throws vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, matching a season-high 10 points.
• Matched her season high with six rebounds at N.C. Central.
• Scored a season-high 14 points to lead NSU vs. UNCG on while also going 6-of-7 from the field.

 
Yazmen Hannah

• Redshirted last season for medical reasons.
• Named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team in 2015-16.
• Made season debut vs. Navy.
• Scored a season-high 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting at William & Mary.
• Started first game of the season against High Point and set a season high with seven rebounds.
• Has the 14th-highest career 3-point field goal percentage in NSU history (29.3).

 
Gabrielle Swinson

• Made season debut vs. Towson and scored 18 points while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists.
• Notched a career-high 11 assists at William & Mary -- the most in the MEAC this season.
• Has led NSU in assists eight times this season and 19 times in her career (ties included).
• Registered a season-high four steals vs. Coppin State. Also blocked a career-best two shots vs. Coppin State.

 
Kendrea Dawkins

• Blocked four shots and grabbed four rebounds against VCU.
• Scored her first points as a Spartan against Navy.
• Grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against North Carolina A&T. Has four or more rebounds in nine games this year.
• Made first start of the season at South Carolina State.
• Matched a season-high with 10 points at North Carolina A&T.

 
De'Janaire Deas

• Set a season high with six points and matched a season high with four rebounds vs. ECU.
• Went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field at ECU, setting a career-high in field goals.
• Set a career high in steals with two vs. UNCG.
• Made a career-best three free throws at N.C. Central.
• Grabbed a career-high 10 boards at S.C. State.

 
Shayla Tanner

• Scored a season-high three points in nine minutes at VCU.
• Ranked fifth on the team in blocks (12) last season.
• Grabbed a season-best seven rebounds at N.C. Central.
• Scored a career-best 11 points against Florida A&M in the MEAC Tournament Quarterfinals on March 9, 2017.

 
Alexis Sparkman

• Made her first-career 3-pointer as a Spartan against VCU.
• Played a season-high 18 minutes vs. High Point.
• Made a 3-point field goal in each of her first three games this season.
• Recorded a season-high two steals at Longwood.

 
Zairya West

• Started first-career game against VCU.
• Recorded three points and two assists in 21 minutes vs. VCU.
• Scored a season-high six points vs. Coppin State. Also set season-best in field goals made (three).

 
What's Next?
NSU begins a stretch of three-straight home games when it hosts Delaware State on Monday at 4 p.m. The Spartans then welcome Savannah State on Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. and South Carolina State on Feb. 19 at 5:30 p.m.