Box Score HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Visiting Norfolk State cut a double-digit deficit to as little as four in the fourth quarter, but host Marshall outscored the Spartans 14-4 to close the game and pull away for an 81-67 win on Sunday afternoon at the Henderson Center.

The Spartans remain winless on the year at 0-9, while the Thundering Herd improved to 8-1 with the victory.

Kayla Roberts led four NSU players in double figures with 20 points. Kiara Phillips scored a season-high 16, Yazmen Hannah added 14 and Siobhan Beslow notched her fourth-double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Talequia Hamilton paced Marshall with 17 points and Leah Scott added 15.

The Spartans trailed 63-50 entering the fourth and final period, but outscored the Herd 13-4 over the first six-plus minutes to make a run. Phillips, a junior guard, scored six of those 13 points and Roberts had five, including a layup off an assist from West Virginia native Kieera Basey that brought NSU to within 67-63 with 6:06 left to play. 

The Spartans' defense kept them in it, holding the Herd without a point for nearly four minutes of the quarter. After Roberts' field goal, NSU had three possessions to get even closer. But the Spartans committed a pair of turnovers and Roberts missed a layup as the score remained 67-63. Taylor Porter broke Marshall's scoreless stretch with a pair of free throws to push the lead to six, then Norrisha Victrum drilled a 3-pointer with 2:26 left to play to put the Herd ahead, 72-63. Victrum hit 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final minute to seal Marshall's win.

The Spartans came out strong, playing one of their best quarters of the season in the first period. NSU hit 10-of-18 from the floor (55.6 percent) in the first 10 minutes while committing just a pair of turnovers. Roberts and Beslow each went 3-of-3 from the floor in the first period and Hannah was 3-of-5 from the floor, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Spartans a 25-21 lead after the opening quarter.

Marshall, however, controlled the middle two periods, outscoring NSU 42-25. Hamilton scored 13 of her 17 points in the second and third quarters. The Herd did not commit a turnover in either period and made 47 percent of their field goal attempts (16-of-34) to take a 13-point lead into the final stanza.

For the game, Marshall shot exactly 50 percent (29-of-58) and committed just seven turnovers. Victrum scored 13 points, Shayna Gore 12 and both Kiana Evans and Chelsey Romero had 10 each.

Roberts connected on 8-of-17 from the floor for the Spartans to finish with her second-highest scoring output of the year. She had been held to 13 points combined in her previous four games. Phillips hit 6-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-5 from 3-point range in addition to handing out a season-high five assists.

In addition to scoring 14 points, Hannah recorded season highs in both rebounds and assists, with six of each. Beslow connected on 6-of-7 from the floor and added a team-high three steals.

The Spartans have the next eight days off from competition for the holidays before returning to action against La Salle in the Monmouth Hawk Holiday Classic in West Long Branch, N.J., on Tuesday, Dec. 29.