NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State University women's basketball team (3-7, 2-4 MEAC) caps its regular season with two rescheduled games this week at North Carolina Central (3-10, 1-5). Tip off is at 4 p.m. this Wednesday and Thursday at NCCU's McDougald-McLendon Arena. Both games will be broadcast on WNSB Blazin' Hot 91.1 FM.

The games were originally slated for Feb. 6-7, but were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. The two-game series will determine the second and third seeds from the MEAC's Southern Division in next week's MEAC tournament.


Last Time Out
The Norfolk State women's basketball team split its two conference games against North Carolina A&T on Feb. 20-21. After losing a 13-point second-half lead to fall 65-60 in the Feb. 20 game, the Spartans bounced back to hand the Aggies their first and only MEAC loss of the year, 65-54, on Feb. 21. Armani Franklin (17), E'Lexus Davis (16) and Mangela Ngandjui (15) combined for 48 points in the win.

The Spartans, playing with just seven players, outrebounded the taller, deeper Aggies in both games and hit 15 3-pointers over the course of the weekend.

Scouting NCCU
Since beating NSU 57-44 for their lone MEAC win to date on Jan. 24, the Eagles have lost six straight games. That includes all four season meetings with their rival, N.C. A&T, and a pair of non-conference games at Georgia Southern.

NCCU lost 84-54 and 78-56 at N.C. A&T last weekend to drop to 1-5 in the MEAC. The Eagles continue to be led by preseason All-MEAC pick Anissa Rivera, who averages 15.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.

Senior Salute
NSU's seniors led the way in their most recent games against North Carolina A&T.
• Armani Franklin had her first two double-figure scoring games of the year, with 15 points and five rebounds in the loss to the Aggies and 17 points, a career-high eight rebounds and three assists in the Feb. 21 win. She was named MEAC Co-Player of the Week for her performance.
• Mangela Ngandjui had 16 points and 14 rebounds in the Feb. 20 loss, then 15 points and seven boards in the win.
• E'Lexus Davis posted six assists in the loss to N.C. A&T, then recorded 16 points on a season-high four made 3-pointers in the win.

Shine Bright
Coach Larry Vickers expected sophomore Central Michigan transfer forward Shine Strickland-Gills to be a defensive force, and that has come to pass in recent games. She earned the first two starts of her career in the games with N.C. A&T. She tallied 17 total rebounds (career-high nine on Feb. 20) while also chipping in 14 points in the two games. Strickland-Gills blocked three shots in the win over the Aggies, and had a season-high three steals in the first game of the series. She is now averaging 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game as a Spartan.

Seeding on the Line
This week's series between the Eagles and Spartans will determine the rest of the seeding from the Southern Division in next week's MEAC tournament. N.C. A&T (9-1) has wrapped up the top seed. With at least one win vs. NCCU, the Spartans will grab the No. 2 seed and open the tourney at noon on Thursday, March 11 against the winner of the first round game between Delaware State and Coppin State.

If NCCU wins both games, the Eagles will take the second seed and NSU the third. In that scenario, NSU would play a 2 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against either Howard or Morgan State, whichever team finishes as the No. 2 seed from the MEAC North.

Series/Last Meetings vs. NCCU
Norfolk State leads the all-time series with North Carolina Central, 23-8. The Spartans are 5-1 against NCCU under head coach Larry Vickers.

The Spartans and Eagles split their two conference games on Jan. 23-24 at Echols Hall. In the first matchup, the Spartans overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to earn their first MEAC win of the year, 69-64. Jalynn Holmes scored 18 points to lead four Spartans in double figures. Jaiden Morris added 14, E'Lexus Davis 13 and Mangela Ngandjui 12 for NSU.

In the second matchup, the Eagles returned the favor, rallying back from a nine-point first-half deficit to win 57-44. Anissa Rivera had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Eagles.