ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Junior Rae Corbo tallied 17 points to score in double figures for the sixth game straight to lift Norfolk State over South Carolina State 59-54 on Saturday afternoon at SHM Memorial Hall.

The Spartans improved to 9-9 overall and 5-2 in conference play while S.C. State fell to 5-11 on the season and 3-3 in the MEAC.

Mykala Jones gave S.C. State its only lead of the game at the 1:54 mark after she drained a 3-pointer to make the score 52-50. Jones shot 50 percent (4-of-8) from downtown on the afternoon.

NSU answered with two back-to-back buckets and a pair of free throws. Freshman Koryn Lawrence tied the game at 52 on a layup with 1:40 on the clock. Corbo also scored inside to with one minute left. Senior Rachel Gordon ended the run with a pair of free throws to give NSU a 56-52 lead over the Lady Bulldogs with 27 seconds remaining in the game.

S.C. State finally scored a basket as Kourtney Williams drove in the paint to keep S.C. State within two, 56-54, at the 12 second mark. Williams led all scorers with 23 points. She also had four steals.

The Spartans shot free throws the rest of the way to give NSU its final score of 59. Overall NSU shot 68.2 percent (15-of-22) from the line, which included 10-of-14 shooting from Corbo, on the afternoon.

NSU started the first half with a jumper from freshman Kieera Basey with 19:03 to go before halftime. S.C. State's Deja Jackson answered with a layup in the paint to tie the game at 2 with 18:39 on the clock. From there Corbo made a pair of free throws and Gordon nailed a jumper to give the Spartans a 6-2 lead over S.C. State with 17:57 left in the half. Dayshaun Richbow kept the Lady Bulldogs within two after got the layup with 17:28 on the clock.

After almost two minutes without a basket from either team, freshman Dominique Harper tipped the ball in to give NSU an 8-4 lead over S.C. State. The Lady Bulldogs continued to keep it close, 8-7, as Williams knocked down a three from the corner with 13:59 to go in the half.

The Spartans went on a 23-9 run over the next 12 minutes. Powell ended the run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give NSU a 31-16 lead over S.C. State with 1:10 left before halftime. For the game, NSU shot 50 percent (4-of-8) from 3-point range.

Jones scored the last bucket of the half for the Lady Bulldogs with 18 seconds left. NSU led S.C. State 31-18 at the half. The last time NSU held an opponent under 20 points in a half was on Jan. 18 when the Spartans held Morgan State to 19 points in the first half.

The Spartans opened the second half with a 3-pointer from Corbo to make the score 34-18. The Lady Bulldogs continued to play aggressively as Williams scored in the paint again to spark a 6-0 run. NSU continued to lead S.C. State 34-24 with 16:51 left.

NSU led by as many as 17 points with 14:11 left in the second half after junior Jazamine Gray knocked down a 3-pointer to make the score 43-26. S.C. State answered with a 3-pointer on the other end from Mykala Jones with 12:54 remaining in the game. NSU continued to lead 43-29.

The Spartans shot only 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the field for the game. Corbo led the team in scoring with 17 points. Gordon posted her fifth straight double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Gordon's 11 rebounds put her at fourth place all-time in career rebounding at NSU with 945 rebounds. She needs 56 more boards to pass Sharon Wallace for first place. Lawrence added nine points while Powell and Gray totaled seven points each for NSU. Powell also had 11 rebounds. Harper, Ebony Brown and Basey rounded out the scoring effort for the Spartans with four points, three points and two points, respectively.

The Spartans return to action on Monday against Savannah State. Game time is at 4 p.m. at Tiger Arena in Savannah, Ga.