NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion seniors Jennie Simms and Destinee Young combined for 39 points on Friday night and played key roles in a decisive third-quarter run that lifted the Monarchs to a 65-54 win over Norfolk State at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
 
Trailing by just one point at the half in the first meeting between the city's two Division I schools in eight years, the Spartans (1-2) were held scoreless for the first 6 minutes, 25 seconds of the third quarter.
 
ODU (1-0), meanwhile, scored the first 14 points of the period to build a 15-point cushion. Simms and Young combined for 14 of the Monarchs' first 16 points of the third quarter. Young added eight of her game-high 20 points during the run, while Simms scored six of her 19 points.
 
The Spartans battled back to cut the deficit to 13, 50-37, just one minute into the final quarter after back-to-back baskets by senior Jordan Strode and junior Gabrielle Swinson. However, that would be as close as they could get until the final minute of the game, when the Spartans scored six of the final eight points.
 
Norfolk State had plenty of opportunities to take a lead into the locker room at the half but shot just 28.6 percent (10-of-35) from the field, including 0-of-6 from behind the arc, in the opening two periods. Despite NSU's struggles from the floor, the lead was just 26-25 in favor of the Monarchs because Norfolk State's defense limited ODU to just 31 percent shooting from the floor (9-of-29) in the opening half, including 25 percent (2-of-8) from behind the 3-point line.
 
NSU placed four players in double figures Friday and has had at least three double-double digit scorers in each of the first three games of the season. Junior forward Kayla Roberts and Swinson led the way for the Spartans with 13 points each against ODU. Roberts added four rebounds, three steals and one assist, while Swinson tallied three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
 
Strode recorded her third consecutive double-digit game with 12 points, while senior guard Dominique Harper added 11. Strode also notched five rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist, while Harper recorded four rebounds, five assists, one block and one assist.
 
Despite the setback, Norfolk State can take several positives away from the game. NSU turned Old Dominion over 15 times, while committing a season-low nine turnovers of its own. The Spartans scored 10 points off the 15 ODU turnovers while allowing seven points on the nine turnovers.
 
The Spartan defense held the Monarchs under 40 percent from the field (39.7) and 21.4 percent from behind the arc (3-of-14). NSU finished with seven blocks and 12 steals as a team.