Postgame Interviews: Head Coach Larry Vickers | Alexys Long

NORFOLK, Va. – A suffocating defensive effort in the fourth quarter gave Norfolk State women's basketball a 63-49 win over South Carolina State on Monday night at Echols Hall. The Spartans (16-9, 9-4 MEAC) held the Lady Bulldogs to 13.6-percent shooting in the final period while out-scoring them 23-11.
 
The victory guarantees a winning record for just the fourth time in NSU's Division-I history (since 1997-98). The 16 wins are also the third-most in the D-I era, trailing only the 22 wins recorded by the 2001-02 team and the 1999-00 squad's 19 victories.
 
NSU is also assured of a winning mark in MEAC competition for the fourth time as well. The Spartans will turn in consecutive seasons with winning conference records for the first time since joining the MEAC after going 9-7 last year.
 
Three Spartans shared the team lead in points with 12. Kayla Roberts posted her third double-double of the season, logging 12 points and 15 rebounds as well as three assists and two steals. Raven Russell and Alexys Long also had 12 for NSU.
 
Norfolk State blocked 10 shots in the win – its sixth game with double-digit blocks this season. Khadedra Croker recorded a game-high six rejections.
 
Bryeasha Blair led all players with 19 points but did so on 6-of-23 shooting, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, while making just five of her 12 free throws.
 
Norfolk State was cold from deep all game, finishing 3-of-20 (15 percent) from beyond the arc. The Lady Bulldogs (9-16, 4-9) fared little better, shooting only 3-of-14 from 3-point range.
 
The Spartans made hay at the foul line, making 20 free throws – their third-most this season – on 25 attempts. NSU was exceptionally productive at the charity stripe in the second half, going 17-of-21.
 
Both teams shot 4-of-15 in the first quarter, and the score was tied 12-12 after the opening 10 minutes.
 
Long opened the scoring with a 3-pointer just 20 seconds into the game, but South Carolina State scored nine of the next 10 points to lead 9-4 with 5:44 to play. Roberts cut the lead to three with a layup 14 seconds later, but Blair responded with a layup of her own.
 
Following Blair's bucket, NSU netted the next six points to take a 12-11 lead with 2:16 to play. The Lady Bulldogs turned the ball over four times during the run and did not record a shot attempt.
 
Long cut the SCSU lead to a single point on a jumper with 2:27 to play, and Zairya West gave the Spartans their first lead since the 6:25 mark on a fastbreak layup with 2:16 on the clock.
 
The Lady Bulldogs broke their scoring drought on a free throw to tie the game in the final seconds of the period.
 
The two teams matched one another point for point in the second quarter, and the game was tied at 27 at the half.
 
NSU out-shot SCSU 53.8 to 38.9 percent in the second quarter but allowed the Lady Bulldogs to stay in the thick of the action by allowing four offensive boards.
 
The lead changed hands nine times in the second quarter, including six times in the first three minutes of the period. Yazmen Hannah put the Spartans up by one, 15-14, on a 3-pointer with 8:47 on the clock. Dashanique Peterson gave S.C. State the lead on a jumper 37 seconds later, which begun a stretch of four lead changes in four possessions.
 
Croker bookened a Kemoni Jenkins jumper with two baskets, and NSU led 19-18 with 7:23 to play. The Spartans held that lead until Blair scored with 5:16 to play. Jaquanna Muray followed with a layup to give S.C. State a 22-19 lead – its largest of the quarter.
 
NSU responded with a 6-0 run and was up 25-22 with 3:21 left in the period. The Lady Bulldogs scored the next five before Roberts knotted the score with the final points of the half on a layup with 1:16 to play.
 
The Spartans clamped down in the second half, holding S.C. State to 18.9-percent shooting in the half. The Lady Bulldogs made just one of their 10 attempts from deep in the final 20 minutes.
 
However, NSU continued to struggle on the defensive glass, giving up 13 offensive boards in the second half. For the game, SCSU out-rebounded the Spartans 50-44, including 22-9 in offensive boards.
 
The first three minutes of the third quarter saw only two points scored, as both NSU and S.C. State split a pair of free throws. The Spartans scored four straight to lead by four with 6:15 to play, but the Lady Bulldogs responded with the next five points as NSU went nearly three minutes without a point. Croker ended the drought and put Norfolk State ahead by one, 34-33, with 3:36 to play.
 
The game was tied 38-38 inside the last minute of the period, but Russell scored in the paint with 15 seconds remaining to give her team a 40-38 advantage.
 
NSU relied on stout defense and a steady hand at the foul line to pull away in the fourth quarter. The Spartans forced misses on 19 of S.C. State's 22 shot attempts in the quarter and forced five turnovers.
 
On the offensive end, Norfolk State iced the game away with a 14-of-17 performance at the charity stripe. Swinson scored seven of her nine points in the fourth quarter while shooting 5-of-6 on foul shots.
 
The Spartans broke the game open on the strength of a 14-2 run through the middle stage of the period. NSU led by one, 40-39, with 9:12 to play before scoring the next four points. After a Blair layup, the Spartans scored the next 10 points to lead 54-41 with 3:52 left in the game.
 
Armani Franklin made two free throws with 2:08 to play to put NSU up 59-44, its largest lead of the game.
 
NSU recorded 13 assists on Monday, six more than S.C. State. Swinson led all players with six assists and chipped in a team-high three steals.
 
Norfolk State embarks on its final conference road trip of the season when it heads to Maryland Eastern Shore for a Saturday game at 2 p.m. The Spartans then follow up at Howard next Monday at 4 p.m.