Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – One day after dominating overtime en route to a win over Tennessee State, Norfolk State saw the roles reversed on Sunday.

Veronica Ryan scored 17 points, including eight in overtime, as Nicholls State pulled away for a 69-64 overtime win over the Spartans (1-5) on the second day of the Teresa Phillips Thanksgiving Classic at the Gentry Center.

Neither team led by more than seven points in regulation. The Colonels (2-2) took their first lead in nine minutes when Marina Lilly scored on a putback to give her team a 56-54 lead with 1:54 left in regulation. NSU senior guard Rae Corbo, who led all scorers with 21 points, tied the game on a jumper with 53 seconds left in the second half.

Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation. But Jenny Nash missed a 3-pointer for Nicholls State, and Corbo rebounded. After a Spartan timeout, Corbo and freshman forward Kayla Roberts both missed shots in the closing four seconds, sending the game into OT at 56-all.

Ryan hit a 3-pointer on Nicholls State's first possession of the extra period and the Colonels never trailed again. A Roberts layup brought NSU within 59-58, but the Colonels scored the next five points to take control of the overtime. The Spartans committed turnovers on consecutive possessions, which led by layups by Nicholls' Ekiya Gray and Hope Pawlowski. Emani White added a free throw to give Nicholls a 64-58 advantage.

NSU didn't go quietly. Roberts scored inside again, and after a Nicholls State turnover, Corbo hit 1-of-2 from the line to bring the Spartans to within 64-61 with 49 seconds left in OT.

But Ryan hit another 3-pointer with 28 seconds on the clock, then hit two free throws after an empty NSU possession to seal the win for the Colonels.

Nicholls State outscored the Spartans 11-4 over the first seven minutes of the game as Norfolk State missed nine of its first 11 shots from the floor. The Spartans slowly clawed their way back into it, and Roberts made two straight field goals to give NSU a 17-16 edge with 6:47 left in the first half. But the Spartans went cold down the stretch, making just one field goal in the final six and a half minutes of the first half. Nash, meanwhile, scored six straight points for Nicholls State, helping the Colonels take a 25-23 lead into the locker room.

The Spartans made an early second-half run thanks to their defense. NSU used a 14-4 spurt to open up a 39-32 lead. Koryn Lawrence's steal and layup gave the Spartans their first lead of the second half, at 30-28. Nicholls State missed seven straight field goal attempts during the first part of the Spartan run. Corbo scored seven points in the run and sophomore Amber Brown added a pair of layups.

But Nicholls State answered with an 8-0 run of its own to retake the lead. The Colonels, who scored 15 points off 15 offensive rebounds, got a pair of second-chance baskets to help them momentarily retake the lead at 40-39. 

NSU, though, was able to reclaim a lead of as large as four points, but couldn't close out the Colonels. The Spartans had three turnovers and went just 1-of-8 from the floor in the final five minutes of regulation.

Corbo had 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting. She added six rebounds and a team-high five assists. Robert chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds. Guard Jazamine Gray snared a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the Spartans on the glass, while Brown also had eight boards. Both Corbo and Roberts were named to the five-member all-tournament team.

Ryan was 6-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-5 from long distance to lead Nicholls State off the bench. Lilly contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, and Nash had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. 

The Spartans have just one game in the next 15 days, but it's a key one: NSU hosts Morgan State to open MEAC play at 4 p.m. Saturday at Echols Hall.