DURHAM, N.C. – With only a two-point lead at halftime, Norfolk State women's basketball appeared to be in for a four-quarter nail-biter against North Carolina Central on Monday night. However, the Spartans blew the game open in the third quarter en route to a comfortable 75-60 win, their seventh in a row, in the McDougald-McLendon Arena.
NSU (9-5, 2-0 MEAC) out-scored the Eagles (3-12, 1-1) 23-11 in the period. The Spartans played near-perfect basketball in the third, committing only one turnover and shooting 52.9 percent in the quarter. On the opposite end of the floor, Norfolk State limited NCCU to 3-of-17 shooting with five turnovers.
Kayla Roberts recorded a game-high 20 points in the win – her third 20-point outing of the year. Roberts made seven of her nine shot attempts while going 2-of-2 from 3-point range and shooting 4-of-6 on free throw attempts. The first team preseason All-MEAC selection also chipped in six rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Norfolk State staked claim to an 18-17 first-quarter lead due in large parts to the efforts of Roberts. The senior guard/forward scored 10 of the Spartan's 18 points in the period on 4-of-5 shooting while making two shots from 3-point range.
Roberts was hot early and scored 10 of the game's first 19 points as NSU led 12-7 at the midway point of the quarter. The Miami, Florida native started the scoring with a trey 47 second into the game and knocked down a second 3-pointer at the 6:30 mark to put the Spartans ahead 10-5 – the largest lead of the quarter.
Gabrielle Swinson's layup made the score 16-12 in favor of NSU with 4:06 remaining in the first, but the Eagles scored the next five points to grab their first lead of the contest. Kieche White's trey at the 1:15 mark put N.C. Central ahead 17-16, but
Armani Franklin's layup in the final 30 seconds sent the Spartans into the second quarter with an 18-17 lead.
Both offenses bogged down in the second quarter, but Norfolk State added one point to its lead, taking a 30-28 advantage into the break. The Eagles struck first and led 19-18 just 40 seconds into the quarter, but NSU regained the lead on
Yazmen Hannah's layup at the 8:23 mark.
Hannah's basket in the paint started a trend as 10 of the Spartan's 12 second-quarter points came in the painted area. For the game, NSU out-scored the Eagles 48-16 in the paint.
Khadedra Croker put the Spartans ahead by seven, 28-21, with 2:47 left in the half, but N.C. Central responded with a 7-0 run the knot the score heading into the final minute.
NSU scored the first 10 points of the third quarter as part of a 12-0 run that spanned the intermission and led 40-28 just four minutes into the period. Four different Spartans scored during the third-quarter surge, and Franklin netted the final four points, including an offensive rebound and layup that capped the run.
White scored the next five points to bring the Eagles to within seven points. The freshman canned two free throws to make the score 40-33 with 5:40 to go in the third quarter, but NCCU would never draw closer as NSU took a 53-39 into the fourth.
Norfolk State protected its double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter, and the lead never dipped below 11 points. Two free throws by
De'Janaire Deas gave the Spartans their largest lead of the game at 74-54 with 2:06 left in the game, but the Eagles scored six of the last seven points of the game.
The Spartans grabbed a season-high 53 rebounds on Monday. Croker and
Shayla Tanner shared the team lead with seven boards, and five Spartans had six or more.
White led the Eagles with 12 points, including a game-high three treys. No other NCCU player broke double figures.
Norfolk State out-shot N.C. Central 44.1 to 27.9 percent. The Spartans made two of their six shots from 3-point range, while the Eagles went 7-of-27 from deep.
The Spartans blocked 10 shots in the win for their fifth game this season with double-digit rejections. Croker led all players with six blocks. Deas also had a pair of blocks.
NSU returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at North Carolina A&T.
