PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Norfolk State women's basketball jumped out strong early then outlasted upset-minded Maryland Eastern Shore late, 63-53, on Saturday at the Hytche Center.
 
The Spartans (17-9, 10-4 MEAC) led by as many as 18 in the first quarter only to be tied with the Hawks (9-18, 6-9) in the third quarter. NSU then buckled down in the fourth for its ninth double-digit win in conference action.
 
Norfolk State won on Saturday despite committing twice as many turnovers as MDES. The Spartans turned the ball over 20 times in the contest – their 11th game with 20 or more turnovers this season. However, NSU took care of the ball when it mattered, registering only two turnovers in the fourth quarter.
 
The Spartans mitigated the turnover discrepancy by out-shooting the Hawks by nearly 14 percentage points. NSU shot 46.2-percent from the field, while limiting MDES to 32.8 percent.
 
Khadedra Croker registered her first-career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Her efforts allowed Norfolk State to out-rebound the Hawks 48-31.
 
Kendrea Dawkins came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points for the Spartans – a new season-high for the redshirt-sophomore forward. Dawkins made six of her 10 shots and shot 2-of-4 from 3-point range.
 
Bairesha Gill-Miles paced the Hawks with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The freshman also chipped in a team-high six rebounds and two steals.
 
Norfolk State turned in one of its finer offensive performances in the first quarter and led the Hawks 29-13 after the opening 10 minutes. The Spartans made 12 of their 18 shots, including three of four 3-pointers, and turned the ball over just one time.
 
The insertion of Gabrielle Swinson into the lineup energized NSU on the offensive end, as NSU assisted on nine baskets in the first quarter. Swinson was flawless on offense in the first, recording four assists without a turnover, making both of her field goals and going 2-for-2 at the foul line.
 
Norfolk State played seven deep in the first and received a huge lift from its bench. Dawkins scored eight points in the opening stanza and did not miss a shot, including a 2-of-2 performance from beyond the arc.
 
The Spartans led 8-2 four minutes into the game on a pair of Swinson layups and baskets by Raven Russell and Kayla Roberts. Leading 17-9 with 3:52 to play, NSU broke off a 12-4 run to close out the quarter. Norfolk State scored seven-straight, beginning with a Dawkins trey at the 2:16 mark, to lead 29-11 inside the final minute, its largest lead of the period.
 
MDES doubled up the Spartans, 14-7, in the second quarter to cut its halftime deficit to 36-27. Norfolk State turned the ball over 11 times in the period as it struggled to adjust to a swarming zone defense by the Hawks.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore opened the second quarter on an 11-3 run to slash the deficit to 32-24 with 4:46 remaining in the half. The Spartans missed five of their first six shot attempts and turned the ball over nine times during the run.
 
Roberts laid it in and restored the lead to 10 points at 34-24 with 1:49 to play, breaking a scoreless drought of five minutes and 25 seconds. Alexus Hicks responded with a trey to cut the lead to seven, but Swinson closed out the half with a bucket to give NSU a nine-point halftime advantage.
 
The Spartans shot 57.7 percent in the first half and made three of its seven long-range attempts but did give the ball away 12 times. The Hawks made 32.4 percent of their field goals and shot just 2-of-10 from deep.
 
Norfolk State continued to struggle on offense in the third quarter as MDES tied the game at 39-all with 3:07 to play in the period.
 
Russell started the second half with a 3-pointer at the 8:16 mark, but the Hawks scored 12 straight to knot the score. Hicks scored the first six of the run on consecutive treys, and Keyera Eaton scored four points, including the game-tying jumper.
 
After the Russell trey, the Spartans missed their next nine attempts while giving the ball away three times.
 
Dawkins put a stop to the run with a clutch basket at the 2:45 mark, and Norfolk State led for the remainder of the game. Zairya West followed Dawkins with her lone trey of the game to put the Spartans ahead by five.
 
West ended the game with a career-best seven points and matched her career high with three assists.
 
The Hawks cut the lead to a single point in the final minute of the quarter, but Dawkins netted the final four points of the stanza to give NSU a 48-43 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
 
MDES' intensity faded in the fourth quarter as the Spartans out-scored the Hawks 15-10 in the frame to secure the victory. Norfolk State shot 40 percent from the field and from 3-point range while turning the ball over only two times in the fourth.
 
Croker and Russell combined to drop 13 points in the fourth on combined 4-of-6 shooting. Russell made two more shots from deep and ended the game with a season-high three treys on 50-percent shooting from long range.
 
Ra'Jean Martin hit a trey a minute inside the fourth to pull the Hawks to within four, 50-46, but they would never draw closer as NSU worked to build a 10-point lead. Russell hit from deep with 7:12 on the clock to put the Spartans on top 53-46. After trading a pair of baskets, Norfolk State led by 10, 58-48, on a second 3-pointer by Russell.
 
The Spartans protected their lead down the stretch, and their lead never dipped below seven points in the final four minutes of action.
 
Norfolk State closes out its conference road schedule on Monday with a 4 p.m. tilt at Howard. The Spartans then return home for their regular season finale against Hampton on March 1 at 5:30 p.m.