Courtesy of Norfolk State Athletic Communications


Box Score


NORFOLK, Va. – Jalynn Holmes scored 18 points to lead four Norfolk State players in double figures, and the Spartans rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit to earn their first MEAC win of the season over North Carolina Central, 69-64 on Saturday afternoon at Echols Hall.

Spartan guard Jaiden Morris tied her season high with 14 points, 10 coming in the second half. E'Lexus Davis chipped in 13 points and seven assists and Mangela Ngandjui registered a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for NSU (2-5, 1-2 MEAC), which won for the first time since beating Salem (W.Va.) on Nov. 29.

The Spartans forced NCCU (2-4, 0-1) to miss its first eight shots of the game as NSU got out to an early 8-2 lead. But the Eagles went on a 12-0 run and led for the remainder of the first half. NCCU forced the Spartans into 16 first-half turnovers and led by as many as 14 points after a three-point play by Anissa Rivera with 2:18 left in the second quarter. 

The Spartans closed to within 37-28 at the half on a 3-pointer by guard Niya Fields late in the period.

The second half belonged to Norfolk State. The Spartans outscored the Eagles 17-3 over the final eight-plus minutes of the third quarter. NSU held NCCU to 3-of-13 shooting in the stanza while forcing seven Eagle turnovers. Holmes, meanwhile, scored eight points in the period to give the Spartans a five-point edge heading into the fourth.

Leading by one, the Spartans used a 14-3 run during the middle of the final quarter to pull away. Shine Strickland-Gills scored all six of her points in the spurt. The Spartans led by as many as 12 in the final two minutes only to see the lead shrink to 3 after a layup by Kiyana Brown with 13 seconds left. But Davis hit two free throws to clinch the win for NSU.

"We haven't won a game in a long time, but as a team we did a good job of pushing through adversity lately," head coach Larry Vickers said. "We just had to get out of own way. Collectively, we played well as a unit and needed all eight players to come through."

Homes added five rebounds and three Steals and hit 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Davis matched her career high with five steals as the Spartans had 12 thefts for the game, 11 off 15 second-half Eagle giveaways. 

Davis and Morris scored 10 points apiece in the second half. Strickland-Gills chipped in six points and six rebounds for the game as NSU held a 44-36 edge on the glass.

Added Vickers: "We talked at halftime about not rushing, and I thought we did a good job of being aggressive in the second half."

Kieche White led the Eagles with 14 points. Rivera, Brown and Cherelle Washington added 13 apiece.
 
The teams play again on Sunday at 1 p.m.