Postgame Interviews: Head Coach Larry Vickers | Kayla Roberts

NORFOLK, Va. – Only two days removed from its first loss in MEAC play, Norfolk State women's basketball bounced back in a big way by defeating Florida A&M 70-49 at Echols Hall on Monday night.
 
The 21-point margin of victory is the Spartans' largest during conference play. Only NSU's 53-27 win over Campbell on Dec. 18 produced a greater final spread.
 
Kayla Roberts finished three points shy of her career high with a game-leading 23 on 8-of-13 shooting. The senior guard/forward also shared the game high with nine rebounds, assisted on two baskets and registered two steals.
 
De'Ayra Davis was the lone player in double figures for the Lady Rattlers (4-16, 2-5 MEAC) and finished with 11 points.
 
The Spartans (12-6, 5-1) shot 42.9 percent from the field and a blistering 7-of-13 (53.8) from 3-point range, but struggled from the free throw line for the second-straight game, going only 9-for-18 from the charity stripe.
 
NSU conceded its lowest opponent shooting percentage since MEAC competition began. FAMU managed only 24.5 percent from the field and 22.2 from deep. The Lady Rattlers generated much of their offense from the free throw line, where they shot 19-of-27.
 
Norfolk State took a 10-0 lead just three minutes into the game thanks to intense full-court pressure. The Spartans forced five early turnovers and scored eight of their first 10 points off FAMU giveaways.
 
NSU led 16-4 on Raven Russell's layup with 4:03 remaining in the quarter. The Spartans were up 12 with 2:40 left in the period but scored only two more points in the period as FAMU chipped away to trail by eight, 20-12, heading to the second quarter.
 
The Lady Rattlers turned the ball over six times in the opening quarter and made only three of their 15 shot attempts. Norfolk State connected on 66.7 percent of their attempts in the quarter and tallied 10 points off turnovers.
 
The Spartans cooled off considerably in the second quarter but still managed to tack two more points onto their lead. NSU shot 31.3 percent from the field in the period but held FAMU to a game-low 14.3 – their 10th quarter this season with a defensive field goal percentage under 20.
 
Norfolk State opened the second quarter on an 8-2 run to take its largest lead of the first half, 28-14. Roberts scored the first five points of the period for NSU, and Alexys Long capped the run with a 3-pointer at the 6:48 mark. The duo provided all of the offense for the Spartans in the second, scoring all 13 points on combined 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-3 from deep.
 
Long knocked down a trey just inside the two-minute mark to make the score 33-20, but Davis answered with a 3-pointer of her own with 45 seconds left in the half to make the score 33-23 at the intermission.
 
Less than five minutes into the third quarter, Norfolk State led 41-33, but the Spartans rattled off an 8-0 run to build a 49-33 edge with 3:46 to go in the period. Long accounted for half of NSU's points during the run, while Russell and De'Janaire Deas contributed field goals as well.
 
Long scored seven points in the third quarter and finished the game 13 on four-of-eight shooting, including four-of-five from deep.
 
NSU scored the first six points of the fourth to build its first 20-point cushion of the night. Yazmen Hannah began the period with a trey and was one of three Spartans to knock down a long-range shot in the game.
 
Roberts pushed the lead to 23 – the largest of the game – with a 3-pointer at the 6:04 mark, but FAMU scored the next eight to climb to within 15. Shalaunda Burney-Robinson knocked down a jumper with 5:33 to play, then Florence Ouattara and Davis hit consecutive treys.
 
Khadedra Croker halted the surge with a layup at the 3:21 mark as NSU scored the final six points to put the game away. The Suffolk, Virginia native tallied eight points on Monday to go along with four rebounds and a game-high five blocks while matching a career best with three assists.
 
The Spartans finished with 14 assists and a season-low 12 turnovers. Armani Franklin and Russell shared the game high in assists with four.
 
FAMU turned the ball over 18 times.
 
NSU narrowly won the rebounding battle 43-40. Both teams tallied 19 offensive rebounds, and the Lady Rattlers held a slight edge in second-chance points, 13-10.
 
The Spartans play three of the next four games on the road, beginning with a Wednesday evening clash against North Carolina A&T at 5:30 p.m.