NORFOLK, Va. - The Bethune-Cookman Lady
Wildcats (12-13, 7-6 MEAC) open their final road stretch on Saturday at Joseph
G. Echols Hall, facing the Norfolk State Spartans (5-19, 3-10 MEAC) in the
fourth of five single-game conference matchups. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. in
Norfolk, Va. for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) face-off.
The Lady Wildcats are coming off their
sixth-highest scoring performance of the season, grabbing a victory in the
final 2012-13 home game, 67-53, over the visiting Savannah State Lady Tigers.
Against SSU, the team shot a season-high 51.1 percent from the field, with three
players reaching double figures.
Every win counts this time of year, as the
MEAC sixth-ranked Lady Wildcats are jockeying for seeding in the quickly
upcoming MEAC Basketball Championships, March 11-16 at Norfolk's Scope Arena.
Notes About the Norfolk State Spartans
(5-19, 3-10 MEAC)
Norfolk State is on a two-game losing skid
after dropping a pair of road games to Hampton and Delaware State last week.
They're a low-scoring outfit, at 53.3 PPG, that has struggled to limit opponent
scoring, allowing 13 opponents to score at least 65 points, including eight who
eclipsed the 70-point mark. Turnovers have caused problems as well, averaging
20.4 turnovers per game, while opponents log just 16.1 TPG to NSU's 7.5 steals
per outing.
The Spartans are led by junior forward Rachel
Gordon, the only NSU player above the double-digit scoring average mark. Gordon
averages a double-double, topping the team with 10.8 PPG and 10.5 RPG, leading
the league in boards and ranking 27th nationally. She shoots 46.2 percent from
the field and protects the ball with just 1.4 TPG.
Transfer junior forward Aivah Parham is
dependable for NSU, chipping in 8.8 PPG and 3.9 RPG, but gives up 2.6 TPG.
Transfer junior guard Kashay Barnes adds 7.4 PPG. Senior point guard Recca
Trice delivers the ball well, boasting a MEAC second-best 5.6 assists per game
(28th NCAA), scoring 5.4 PPG with 3.4 RPG. She can be turnover prone at times,
surrendering 3.3 TPG.
Much of NSU's offensive approach is based in
the post, while the defense appears to be as well, limiting perimeter coverage.
NSU Opponents have averaged 6.3 made threes per game this season on 32.5
percent long range shooting.
About the Lady Wildcats (12-13, 7-6 MEAC)
Coming off the big win in the final home
game, several Lady Wildcats got back into the swing of things, offensively,
after a pair of down games for the team. Junior Chastity
René Taylor scored a career and team
season-high 27 points against the Lady Tigers, tallying three steals and five
rebounds from the guard position. Taylor leads the team with a MEAC
seventh-best 14.0 PPG, knocking down 2.4 threes per game (2nd MEAC, 52nd NCAA).
Amanda
Hairston made the extra push against SSU to collect 14 points and eight
rebounds, averaging 8.4 PPG and a team-leading 6.5 RPG. She will have her work
cut out for her coming up against the NSU inside game and the MEAC's best
rebounder.
Terrenisha
Hollis has been hitting the glass hard of late, with 25 rebounds in her last
three outings, including 12 vs. SSU. However, lately her scoring hasn't been
there. A prolific scorer when she's hot, getting her rolling would allow the
Lady Wildcats to spread the floor for more open looks. Hollis averages a team
second-best 8.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
During the Game
Live Stats: Norfolk State will provide live
statistics during the game at this Link.
Live Video: Norfolk State will present a
live webstream on NSU All-Access for a subscription fee at this link. NSU's 24-Hour Basketball
Doubleheader Pass is available for $8.00 on NSU All-Access
Game Day Hashtags: For all of our followers on Twitter, the official game day hashtags include the
following...
#HailWildcats
#BeatNSU
For all the latest information on the
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, follow the official Twitter feed, @BCUathletics, or "Like Us" on Facebook at Bethune-Cookman Athletics.
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