Box Score EMMITSBURG, Md. – The Norfolk State men's basketball team had its chances, but the Spartans dropped a heartbreaking contest to Mount St. Mary's in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Knott Arena, 67-64.
 
NSU was behind for most of the second half before tying the game up with less than three minutes in regulation. The Spartans had their shot late in the second stanza and then overtime but were unable to close the deal in the non-conference matchup.
 
It all began when the Spartans finally began to cut into the deficit in the second half. NSU (6-5) had trailed for most of the game, and by at least eight points for more than 20 minutes of clock time. Junior D'Shon Taylor, though, got the Spartans going by scoring 10 straight points over a four-minute span to get them to within 53-51 at the 3:43 mark.
 
The Spartans tied it up at 53-53 with 2:58 on the clock when junior LaTre'e Russell drove to the lane for the layup, finishing a 12-1 run for NSU. Junior Robinson hit a pair of layups for the Mountaineers (3-5), but the Spartans responded both times, the final one at 1:14 when Short answered with a drive to the hoop.
 
After Mount St. Mary's missed on its last-minute possession, NSU was unable to prevent overtime when junior RaShid Gaston's tough-angle layup fell off the rim with just seconds remaining.
 
The Spartans took a five-point lead in overtime thanks to a layup by senior Jamel Fuentes and three free throws from Short. Down 62-57, the Mountaineers got back-to-back treys from Byron Ashe to go ahead by one with 1:44 in the extra session.
 
Robinson and Short traded free throws, and then Robinson went 1-of-2 from the foul line with 19.3 seconds on the clock for a 66-64 edge. After a miss on the second attempt, Taylor ran down the court and shot a quick 3-pointer with 14 seconds left that easily fell short. The Mountaineers hit 1-of-2 from the line again for a three-point edge, and both 3-point attempts in the final seconds by NSU were blocked.
 
The Spartans hit just 1-of-6 from the floor in overtime.
 
Taylor led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Short added 15 points, while Gaston fell just short of his sixth straight double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.
 
The game began as a back-and-forth affair until the Mountaineers scored nine in a row for a 19-11 lead at the 10:44 mark. Ashe made it 22-13 when he sank a 3-pointer six feet out from the left wing. Taylor, meanwhile, scored 10 straight for the Spartans, the final three points getting NSU to within nine at 28-19 with less than six minutes left.
 
The Spartans, though, were hurt by Short and Gaston playing a combined 16 minutes in the first half thanks to two fouls by each. As the half came to a close, Fuentes got the roll on his jumper in the lane to cut the Mountaineer lead to 37-26 at the break.
 
The Mountaineers hit 14-of-24 in the first half, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range. They cooled as the game wore on, finishing 24-of-57 (42.1 percent) overall as well as 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
Ashe had 15 points, and Robinson totaled 14 to lead Mount St. Mary's.
 
The Spartans connected on 22-of-53 (41.5 percent) for the game, and just 4-of-13 from the 3-point line. They did win the rebounding battle for the eighth game in a row, 41-32, although the Mountaineers outscored them 15-3 in second-chance points.
 
They also held a 15-8 edge in points off turnovers over NSU.
 
NSU will return home to face U.Va.-Wise Monday at 7 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall.