SAVANNAH, Ga. – Norfolk State women's basketball rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to win 78-58 over Savannah State at Tiger Arena on Monday night. The Spartans (11-5, 4-0 MEAC) trailed by three going into the fourth quarter, where they out-scored the Lady Tigers (2-15, 0-6) 29-6.
 
Alexys Long carried NSU with a career-high 29 points. The junior guard/forward made eight of her 11 shot attempts while going 5-of-8 on 3-pointers and a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line to lead NSU to its ninth straight win.
 
Three other Spartans joined Long in double figures, including Yazmen Hannah with a season-high 13 points. Gabrielle Swinson chipped in 15 points, and Raven Russell added 10.
 
Kaylee Allen scored 24 points to pace Savannah State but did so on 23 shot attempts. As a team, the Lady Tigers managed just 30.8 percent from the field.
 
The Spartans begin MEAC play with four straight wins for the second year in a row and become the third NSU team to start conference play 4-0.
 
Early on, Norfolk State struggled to manufacture good shots against Savannah State's pressure defense and trailed 15-8 after the first quarter. The Spartans made just three of their 14 shot attempts in the period while turning the ball over seven times.
 
While NSU struggled to find its rhythm, the Lady Tigers jumped out to a 7-0 lead with six minutes, 24 seconds left in the period. Allen stole the ball three times and scored four points during the run, as six of SSU's first seven points came off turnovers.
 
The Spartans took an early timeout at the 6:20 mark then broke off an 8-1 run to tie the game. De'Janaire Deas scored NSU's first point on a free throw 4:04 seconds into the contest. Hannah tied the game at 8-8 on a layup with 3:34 left in the period, but Savannah State closed out the quarter on a 7-0 run.
 
Norfolk State regained its composure on offense in the second quarter – turning the ball over only four times and shooting 42.9 percent – but could not find an answer for Allen as Savannah State went into the intermission up 37-29.

Allen tallied 13 points in the second quarter on 5-of-6 shooting, including two treys.

A Long 3-pointer in transition pulled NSU to within nine points, 22-13, with 5:18 left in the half, but SSU scored the next six points to build its largest lead of the game, 28-13. Allen converted an and-one opportunity to put the Lady Tigers up 12 before Praise Russell knocked down a 3-pointer at the 4:30 mark.

The Spartans managed to shave the deficit to seven with 3:06 left in the half but found themselves down 13, 35-22, with 1:37 to play on Allen's 17th point of the game.

NSU trailed by 10 going into the final seconds of the half, but Long knocked down two free throws with one second remaining to make the score 37-29.

The switch flipped in the second half, where NSU out-scored SSU 49-21. The Spartans made 15 of their 25 shot attempts in the final 20 minutes, while holding the Lady Tigers to 19.4 percent shooting.

Despite its best efforts, Norfolk State trailed by nine, 51-42, with 1:50 left in the third quarter. Swinson scored the next five points of the game and pulled the Spartans to four points on a steal and layup at the 1:04 mark.

Heniaya Moton made one of her two free throws to put the Lady Tigers up by five in the final minute, but once again Long canned two from the charity stripe in the final second to send the Spartans into the fourth quarter down 52-49.

NSU opened the fourth on an 11-3 run to build a 60-55 and force a timeout by Savannah State with 6:16 left in the game. Russell and Swinson scored four points apiece during the opening stages of the quarter, and Long knocked down a big 3-pointer.

The timeout could not stem the tide, as Norfolk State scored 18 of the game's final 26 points. Jalea Gray's free throw at the 4:03 mark was the final point for SSU, and the Spartans capped the game with a 13-0 run.

Savannah State made only two field goals in the final quarter on 11.1-percent shooting, while the Spartans shot an eye-popping 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the field.

Norfolk State made 18 trips to the charity stripe in the second half and made 15 (83.3 percent).

Russell notched Norfolk State's second double-double of the season with 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. The junior guard also matched a team single-game high with five steals while assisting on four baskets.

NSU matched season highs in both made free throws (22) and steals (13) in the win.

The Spartans return home to face Bethune-Cookman in a clash of MEAC unbeatens on Saturday at 4 p.m. NSU then hosts Florida A&M next Monday at 5:30 p.m.