NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State's 16-game trip through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference begins with a pair of home games against Delaware State and Florida A&M. The Spartans (5-8) host the Lady Hornets (2-9) on Saturday at 4 p.m. before a Monday game against the Lady Rattlers (2-10) at 5:30 p.m.
 
NSU will try to shake off back-to-back losses to close out its non-conference slate while meeting the expectations put on it with a third-place finish in the preseason poll.
 
The Opening Tip
Norfolk State nearly erased a 20-point deficit and had a chance to send the game to overtime or to win it outright with the final shot of the contest, but the Spartans could not complete the comeback, falling 63-61 to Wake Forest last time out.
 
NSU out-scored the Demon Deacons 24-9 in the final period and ended the game on a 22-5 run. The Spartans held Wake Forest to 2-of-10 shooting in the fourth quarter and forced nine turnovers, scoring 10 points off those giveaways.
 
A 17-2 run over six minutes highlighted the fourth quarter. The run started at the 7:35 mark when the score was 58-41. Once it was finished, the Spartans were within four points with 95 seconds remaining.
 
Wake Forest halted the run with a 3-pointer to push its lead to seven points, but Alexys Long had an immediate answer with a trey of her own. On the next possession, Long knocked down two free throws to make the score 63-61.
 
NSU got a stop on the next possession and had a shot to tie or win the game. Dana Echols drove into the lane, but could not get her layup to go down.
 
Three Spartans finished the game in double figures. Kendrea Dawkins set a new career high with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Long joined Dawkins with 16 points and also had three 3-pointers. La'Deja James netted 15 points in her first outing following a five-game absence and set the game-high with five steals.
 
 Echols notched her second 10-assist game of the season with a game-high 10. As a team, the Spartans assisted on 15 of their 21 field goals.
 
Sizing up Delaware State
The Lady Hornets enter Saturday on a five-game losing streak, having dropped their last game 97-55 at VCU. The Rams could not be stopped in that game, shooting 60-percent from the floor, 57.1-percent from 3-point range and making all seven of their free throws.
 
NaJai Pollard continued her torrid form with 24 points, six rebounds and five blocks against VCU. Pollard averaged 27.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game across her last two outings and logged 30 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in a 75-63 loss to Marshall.
 
A Preseason All-MEAC first teamer, Pollard currently ranks third in the nation in scoring, averaging 24.3 points per contest. The Richmond native nearly averages a double-double with 9.8 rebounds per game, the 42nd-best mark in Division I. Lastly, her 2.6 blocked shots per game ranks 26th in the country.
 
Outside of Pollard, only one player, Lanayjha Ashe, averages more than 10 points per game for the Lady Hornets. Ashe contributes 12.6 points per night and leads the team with 29 assists.
 
As a team, DSU owns the MEAC's fifth-best offense, scoring 62.0 points per game, but is second-to-last in scoring defense, allowing 78.8 points per game. The Lady Hornets also rank third in the conference with a 38.8-percent mark from the field, just one percentage point better than NSU.
 
First-year head coach David Caputo took over the DSU program on Aug. 10, 2018. Caputo followed Barbara Burgess, who accrued an 18-72 record in three seasons. Last season, the Lady Hornets posted a 6-24 record, going 5-11 in the conference and bowing out in the first round of the MEAC Tournament.
 
Sizing up Florida A&M
The Lady Rattlers begin their MEAC slate at Howard on Saturday before traveling to Norfolk. FAMU looks to snap a four-game losing streak against HU, last winning on Dec. 16, a 57-56 home victory over Miami (Ohio).
 
FAMU has struggled offensively to start the season and ranks last in the MEAC in scoring, averaging just 47.2 points per contest. Additionally, the Lady Rattlers are in the bottom half of the conference in free throw percentage (55.3, 11th), field goal percentage (33.1, 10th), and 3-point field goal percentage (24.3, 12th).
 
Mya Moye and Candice Williams pace FAMU in scoring with 11.2 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. Moye is a threat from deep, ranking fourth in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (36.6). Additionally, her 2.2 treys per game are tied for the third-most in the MEAC.
 
Williams distributes the ball for the Lady Rattlers, ranking seventh among her conference peers with 3.6 assists per game, and holds a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
All-Time Series vs. DSU
The Spartans are 21-23 all-time against the Lady Hornets, but NSU is 9-2 in its last 11 games dating back to the 2011-12 season. Prior to that, DSU had owned the series since NSU joined the MEAC, going 21-8 between the 1997-98 season and the 2010-11 campaign. During that stretch, Norfolk State lost 11-straight games to the Lady Hornets between 2006 and 2012, the longest streak in the series.
 
Stout defense and 22 points from Alexys Long carried NSU past DSU in a 72-50 win at Echols Hall last season. Long hit four 3-pointers in the win, and the Spartans limited the Lady Hornets to 28.4-percent shooting.
 
Norfolk State led 34-17 at the break in large part to their defensive efforts against Pollard, who had two points on 1-of-12 shooting in the first half. Pollard bounced back in the second half with 19 points and six rebounds on 7-of-11 from the field.
 
The Spartans were dominant on the boards in the game, out-rebounding DSU 55-34. Khadedra Croker led the way with a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
All-Time Series vs. FAMU
Norfolk State is 7-24 all-time against the Lady Rattlers in a series that dates back to the 1996-97 season. FAMU has sustained a period of dominance between the 2000-01 season and the 2012-13 season, going a combined 17-2 in that span.
 
The Spartans are 2-3 against FAMU over the past five games. Last season, NSU shot 53.8-percent from 3-point range in a 70-49 win at Echols Hall. Long made four of her five shots from deep in that game.
 
Kayla Roberts flirted with a double-double, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
 
What's Next?
The Spartans begin a stretch of three road games over their next four outings. NSU travels to Coppin State on Saturday, Jan. 12 before returning home for an early-season clash with Bethune-Cookman. The Spartans then travels to Savannah State on Saturday, Jan. 19 and South Carolina State on Monday, Jan. 21.