DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Norfolk State women's basketball team dropped a crucial matchup against first-place Bethune-Cookman 68-62 at the Moore Gymnasium on Monday night.

The game went down to the wire, with NSU trailing 63-60 with 1:10 left remaining in regulation and possession of the ball. The Spartans (16-10, 10-3 MEAC) opted to go for the quick two, with La'Deja James hitting a layup with 28 seconds in regulation. The Spartans then fouled, but B-CU's Ashanti Hunt drained two clutch free throws to push the Wildcats' (21-5,13-1 MEAC) lead back to three.

The Spartans again went for the quick two, but were unable to convert on a Chanette Hicks jumper. The Wildcats made one more free throw to make it a two possession game with just eight seconds left in the game, sealing the win for B-CU.

The first two periods were evenly played, setting the physical tone that lasted the rest of the game. The Spartans led the whole first half, but were never able to build a lead more than five points. At the end of the first half, the Spartans held a 32-30 lead after a halfcourt buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Kiana Williams.

The Wildcats took control late in the third quarter, going on a 21-9 run from the 6:57 mark until the end of the quarter. After shooting around 44% from the field in the first two quarters, the Wildcats went 8-of-13 (61.5%) in the third period. The Spartans turned the ball over six times in the period, giving the Wildcats a 6-2 advantage in points off turnovers.

Hicks led the Spartans with 20 points, while adding three assists and four steals. James scored 18 and grabbed five rebounds, while De'Janaire Deas scored eight and added five rebounds. The team statistics were fairly even in all categories, but the Wildcats had a huge 25-9 advantage in bench points. The Spartans went 5-of-14 (38.5%) from behind the arc, but the Wildcats made the difference by going 20-of-27 from the free-throw line.

Amaya Scott scored 18 points to lead B-CU. Hunt added 13 points and 10 rebounds. She was 1-of-7 from the floor but 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.

The Spartans head back home to Echols Hall to face Howard University on Saturday. Senior Day festivities for seven Spartans precede the 4 p.m. tip-off.