NORFOLK, Va. – The second weekend of MEAC play figures to be a challenging one for Norfolk State women's basketball as the Spartans (7-8, 2-0 MEAC) travel to Coppin State on Saturday for their first road test of conference play before hosting 2018 regular season co-champion Bethune-Cookman on Monday.
 
The Opening Tip
Norfolk State nearly saw a 16-point third-quarter lead evaporate as visiting Florida A&M closed out the game on a 10-1 run in the Spartans' 60-58 win on Monday night. The Lady Rattlers had an opportunity to win the game on the final shot but instead turned the ball over with 0.4 seconds left on the clock.
 
Kendrea Dawkins paced Norfolk State with a game- and career-high 20 points and six rebounds. The redshirt-junior forward set career highs with a 6-of-8 performance at the foul line and contributed an assist, a steal and a block each.
 
Norfolk State led 14-6 after the first 10 minutes on the strength of stout defense and a 10-2 run across the middle portion of the period. Florida A&M shot 15.4 percent (2-of-13) in the quarter and endured a scoring drought of four minutes and 37 seconds while the Spartans jumped out to a 10-2 lead.
 
The Lady Rattlers struck back to start the second quarter, narrowing the gap to one point within four minutes, but FAMU scored only one point in the last 5:39 of the half as the Spartans pulled away with 14-1 run.
 
NSU's final field goal of the night, a transition layup from Dawkins, gave the Spartans their last double-digit advantage of the game at 59-48 with 5:28 remaining on the clock.
 
A steal and transition layup with 35 seconds remaining drew the Lady Rattlers to within a point, 59-58. Khadedra Croker missed both of her free throws on the ensuing possession, and FAMU had the opportunity to win the game on the on the final shot. Keziah Dilworth lost control of her dribble while driving towards the basket, and Croker hit the floor to force a jump ball with the possession arrow in NSU's favor. The Spartans inbounded the ball with 0.4 seconds on the clock, and Dana Echols split a pair of free throws to produce the final score.
 
Norfolk State turned the ball over a season-low 11 times against the Lady Rattlers – its lowest turnover output since a nine-turnover performance at Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 20, 2017. Also, the Spartans shot just 32.8 percent on the night, their lowest field goal percentage in a win since shooting 23.6 percent at Howard on Feb. 26 last season.
 
Sizing up Coppin State
The Lady Eagles (1-13, 1-1 MEAC) notched their first win of the season and snapped a 22-game losing streak with a 71-57 road result against Delaware State on Monday. CSU shot a blistering 10-of-20 from 3-point range in that game to go along with a 13-of-14 showing at the charity stripe.
 
Four Lady Eagles broke double figures in the victory, paced by Brooke Fields' 26-point, 10-rebound double-double. Preseason First Team All-MEAC honoree Chance Graham provided 16 points and six rebounds and made all seven of her attempts at the foul line.
 
Graham averages a double-double on a nightly basis -- ranking first in the MEAC in rebounding (12.0) and third in scoring (16.6). Already a four-time conference defensive player of the week this season, the junior forward also contributes 2.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
 
CSU currently ranks 10th in the MEAC in scoring, averaging 54.9 points per game. However, since the beginning of MEAC play, the Lady Eagles have upped their scoring to 70.5, the third-best mark in the MEAC.
 
In its two conference games, Coppin State has shot 40.0 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. The Lady Eagles have made 17 3-pointers since the MEAC season began, the joint-best mark in the conference.
 
Sizing up Bethune-Cookman
The Lady Wildcats (8-5, 1-0 MEAC) began their defense of the 2018 MEAC regular season title with a 67-50 win at North Carolina Central last Saturday. Angel Golden, the conference's second-leading scorer, poured in 21 points for B-CU in the win.
 
Golden, the preseason player of the year, averages 20.2 points per game and owns seven 20-point outings this season, including a 32-point outburst at Georgia Southern. The senior guard sinks 3.2 3-pointers per contest, the second-most in the MEAC, on 31.1-percent shooting.
 
Chasimmie Brown flirted with a double-double in B-CU's win over N.C. Central, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds. A second team Preseason All-MEAC selection, Brown tops the conference in field goal percentage (55.4 percent) and is eighth in rebounding (6.7).
 
All-Time Series vs. Coppin State
Norfolk State and Coppin State have met 36 times prior in a series that began when the Spartans joined the MEAC for the 1997-98 season. The Lady Eagles hold a 27-9 edge over NSU all-time.
 
After splitting the first 10 meetings, CSU has won 22 of the last 26 games. The Lady Eagles reeled off 18-consecutive victories in the series between the 2004-05 and the 2014-15 seasons. Since then, the two sides are 3-3 against one another with NSU taking the last two games.
 
NSU kicked off last season's conference slate with a 71-57 win over CSU inside Echols Hall. The Spartans survived a 29-point performance from Genesis Lucas and used their balance to cruise past the Lady Eagles.
 
Nine different NSU players netted at least four points in that game and three scored 10 or more. Kayla Roberts led the Spartans with 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
 
Head coach Larry Vickers is 2-2 all-time against CSU. Current Lady Eagles head coach DeWayne Burroughs has never beaten NSU and is 0-2.
 
All-Time Series vs. Bethune-Cookman
Monday will mark the 34th all-time meeting in the series. The Lady Wildcats enter the game on a five-game winning streak against the Spartans and own an 18-15 edge in the all-time series.
 
B-CU claimed a pair of victories over NSU last year, winning 58-51 in Norfolk and 60-45 in Daytona Beach. The Spartans struggled from 3-point range in both contests, combining to shoot 4-for-24 (16.7 percent) across the two games.
 
After being limited to 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting in the season's first game, Golden erupted for 20 points on her own court. Emily Williams also dropped 20 points, and Brown filled the box score with eight points, 10 rebounds and a pair of assists, blocks and steals each.
 
Vickers is winless against B-CU and holds a 0-4 mark. Bethune-Cookman's Vanessa Blair-Lewis is 8-4 versus the Spartans.
 
NSU vs. the MEAC
Norfolk State is in the midst of its 22nd season of MEAC play. The Spartans joined the conference for the 1997-98 season after spending their first 24 seasons in Division II as a member of the CIAA.
 
In its first 21-plus seasons of MEAC play, NSU is 137-215 (.389) in conference tilts. The Spartans posted consecutive winning seasons in the MEAC for the first time last season, going 11-5 after a 9-7 mark in 2016-17. Norfolk State has not turned in three-straight winning conference records since its run of seven-straight from 1991 to 1997.
 
The Spartans are 181-206 (.468) all-time against current members of the MEAC. NSU holds winning marks against Maryland Eastern Shore (26-16), Morgan State (21-16), North Carolina Central (20-7), Savannah State (8-7) and South Carolina State (22-18).
 
Vickers owns a 25-19 (.568) record in MEAC play and is 21-12 (.636) since his first full season in 2016-17. Vickers has a winning record against Delaware State (4-1), Maryland Eastern Shore (3-0), North Carolina Central (2-0) and South Carolina State (4-1).
 
What's Next?
Norfolk State loads up for its longest bus trip of the year, visiting both Savannah State and South Carolina State. The Spartans face SSU on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. before a Monday clash at S.C. State at 5:30 p.m. NSU then returns home for its final contest in January against Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 4 p.m.