Vickers Postgame Interview | Postgame Player Interview
NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State women's basketball team made its first nine shots and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire in its 74-42 win over Longwood on Wednesday night at Joseph Echols Hall. The Spartans (4-5) buckled down on the defensive end as well, holding the Lancers (1-5) to an opponent season-low 25.0 percent shooting from the floor.
Four double-digit scorers highlighted a balanced scoring attack by NSU.
Alexys Long parlayed a scorching-hot shooting performance in the first quarter into a game-high 16 points. The senior did not miss a shot in the first period, going 5-of-5 with three treys for 13 points.
Raven Russell flirted with a double-double in the victory, logging 13 points and a season-best nine rebounds.
Dana Echols (12) and
Kendrea Dawkins (12) rounded out the Spartans in double figures. Echols grabbed five rebounds and dished a game-high eight assists.
For the second game in a row, Dawkins made her presence felt off the Spartan bench. The forward knocked down a career-best four free throws and hit a pair of 3-pointers in her second-consecutive double-figure scoring game.
Defensively, NSU hounded Longwood all contest long. The Spartans held the Lancers nearly 30 points below their season average for points, forced 23 turnovers and limited LU to 16.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Norfolk State made 12 of its 14 shots (85.7 percent) in the first quarter, jumping out to a 29-11 lead. The Spartans' first nine shot attempts found the bottom of the net, and NSU did not miss until the 3:42 mark of the period.
Long netted seven of the first nine points of the game as NSU jumped out to an 11-0 lead. The Clinton, Maryland native scored on a layup and hit a trey on the Spartans' first two possessions, then followed a
Khadedra Croker basket with another bucket.
Norfolk State led 16-2 with 6:16 to play in the quarter and held a 20-point advantage in the period. A transition layup by Dawkins made the score 27-7 with 2:28 to play. After a Longwood jumper,
De'Janaire Deas scored in the paint to restore the 20-point cushion inside the final 20 seconds of play.
The Spartans assisted on 10 of its 12 made baskets in the first. For the game, NSU recorded an assist on 20 of its 28 makes – its second game this season with 20-plus assists.
Head coach
Larry Vickers' squad could not maintain its torrid shooting pace in the second quarter but leaned on solid defense to extend its lead. NSU's field goal percentage regressed to 35.7 percent in the period, but the Spartans held the Lancers to 2-of-12 shooting (16.7 percent) from the field and a 1-of-9 (11.1 percent) effort from 3-point range.
Neither side recorded a point in the second until Mallory Odell sank a free throw with 6:25 left on the clock. Norfolk State got its first points of the period 17 seconds later, when Croker found Russell in the paint for a layup.
A series of treys from Long, Dawkins and Russell helped NSU build its largest lead of the first half at 42-18. Russell hit her lone trey of the night with 1:25 remaining in the quarter to give the Spartans the 24-point edge.
Russell powered the Spartans' offense in the third quarter, scoring eight of NSU's 20 points in the frame. The Millbrook, Alabama native made four of her seven shot attempts and grabbed three offensive rebounds.
Norfolk State corralled 12 of its own misses in the third quarter, out-rebounding the Lancers 17-5 in the quarter. The Spartans scored 11 second-chance points in the period.
For the game, NSU out-rebounded Longwood 44-30. Russell and Deas shared the game high with nine boards apiece.
Neither team shot above 25 percent in the final quarter. The Spartans shot 20.0 percent, while Longwood made 23.1-percent of its shots.
Dawkins gave NSU its largest lead of the game at 74-40 with a pair of free throws at the 2:48 mark. As a whole, the Spartans continued their run of good form at the charity stripe on Wednesday. Norfolk State made nine of its 12 free throws for its fourth-straight game of shooting above 70 percent at the foul line.
The Spartans blocked three shots against Longwood – one apiece by Long, Deas and Croker. Croker's rejection was the 99th of her NSU career. With her next block, Croker will become just the sixth Spartan to log 100 rejections at Norfolk State.
NSU will try to even its record on Saturday, when it travels to High Point for a 2 p.m. game between familiar foes. The Spartans and Panthers have played in each of the past two seasons, splitting the pair of games.
