Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – Kayla Roberts and
Rae Corbo combined for 51 points, leading Norfolk State to its best offensive showing of the season in a 90-71 victory over visiting Howard on Saturday afternoon at Echols Hall.
Roberts matched her career high from last week's win over Hampton by pouring in a game-high 26 points, while Corbo was close behind with 25 for the Spartans (8-13, 7-3 MEAC). Behind their scoring prowess, NSU recorded season highs in points (90), field-goal percentage (59.0), field goals made (36), assists (19) and 3-point percentage (50.0).
Koryn Lawrence added 12 points and
Aivah Parham chipped in with 10 for the Spartans.
Howard led 8-2 after a jumper by Jasmine Hill less than three minutes into the game. NSU answered with a 12-2 run over the next three and a half minutes to regain the advantage. Roberts scored seven straight in the run and Corbo capped it with a 3-pointer to give the Spartans a 14-10 edge.
NSU's first-half lead swelled to 18, 42-24, on another Corbo triple with 2:01 remaining before the half. But the Lady Bison (3-19, 3-6) responded by scoring the final nine points of the half to cut their deficit to single digits, 42-33, going into the half.
Howard got within 42-35 on a jumper by Victoria Gonzales on the Lady Bison's first possession of the second half. NSU went onto score eight of the next 10 points to put some distance between itself and Howard and the Spartans coasted by shooting 62.5 percent in the second half, matching its best effort in a half this year. Roberts had 16 of her points in the second half, while Corbo chipped in 14 and Lawrence eight.
Corbo also had a team-high six assists in addition to shooting 10-of-17 from the floor and recording a pair of steals. Roberts grabbed 15 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year and second in a row. Lawrence, Roberts and Parham added two steals apiece for the Spartans, who matched their season high with 11 thefts.
Amber Brown also had a solid night offensively despite facing foul trouble. She went 3-of-3 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line to match her career best with nine points. Parham made 5-of-7 from the floor to reach double figures for the first time since scoring 12 against Radford on Nov. 20.
The 59 percent field goal mark for NSU is the program's fourth-best since moving to Division I in 1997-98. The Spartans haven't scored 90 points against a Division I team since notching 94 against USC Upstate on Nov. 21, 2011.
Gonzales led Howard with 18 points, Hill had 16, and Cheyenne Brown and Imani Bailey scored 13 apiece.
The Spartans cap their three-game homestand with a 6 p.m. game Monday against UMES at Echols Hall.
