WASHINGTON, D.C. – Norfolk State women's basketball overcame a 10-point third-quarter deficit in a 59-53 overtime game against Howard on Monday night. The Spartans overcame a cold night from the floor with a bevy of offensive rebounds and a season-high 39 trips to the foul line.
 
NSU (18-9, 11-4 MEAC), attacked the offensive glass with ferocity, grabbing a season-high 24 of its own misses and netting 15 second-chance points. Alexys Long snared seven offensive boards, including three during a crucial third-quarter run by the Spartans, as part of a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double – the first of her career.
 
In all, three Norfolk State players logged double-doubles on Monday. Kayla Roberts scored a game-high 13 points to go with 12 rebounds for her 30th-career double-double. Gabrielle Swinson notched her first of the season with 10 points and 10 boards.
 
NSU last had three players with double-doubles in the same game against St. Augustine's on Nov. 15, 2016. Khalilah Ali had 11 points and 11 rebounds, Roberts notched 12 points and 11 boards and Jordan Strode recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Spartans swarmed errant shots throughout the game and came down with 64 rebounds – the fourth-most in program history. Norfolk State had 83 rebounds against Bowie State on Jan. 24, 1983 to set the school record. The record for the Division-I era belongs to the 2001-02 team and its 66-rebound performance against Morris Brown on Nov. 16, 2001.
 
Both teams had frustrating evenings from 3-point range, as they combined to shoot 1-of-35 (2.9 percent) from deep. The Spartans made the lone trey of the game and went 1-of-21 (4.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
Norfolk State trailed by 10, 38-28, with 5:51 left in the third quarter but fought to tie the game 40-all by the end of the period. The Bison (11-17, 7-8) shot 54.5 percent in the quarter while holding the Spartans to 16.7 percent. NSU willed itself back into the game, grabbing eight offensive boards in the third and making 12 trips to the foul line.
 
De'Janaire Deas converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to cut Howard's lead to seven, but an Imani Bryant fastbreak layup put the Bison ahead 40-31 with 3:30 to play in the period.
 
HU did not score again in the quarter, as the Spartans went on a 9-0 run to tie the score. NSU generated a spark by hitting the offensive glass and grabbed eight offensive boards during the run, including three on one possession, which ended with a Khadedra Croker layup to pull Norfolk State to within three at 40-37.
 
Roberts netted the final field goal of the quarter with 1:46 to play, and Long knotted the score with a free throw in the final second.
 
Neither team led by more than four in the final quarter as the two squads refused to settle the game in regulation.
 
The Bison out-shot the Spartans 41.7 to 28.6 percent in the fourth, but NSU made both of its free throws while HU did not attempt a foul shot.
 
Howard scored the first four points of the quarter, but Norfolk State responded by scoring the next four to tie the game at 44-44 with under six minutes to play.
 
Roberts gave NSU its first lead since the 4:08 mark of the second quarter at 48-46 with 3:17 to play. The Miami, Florida native received a feed on the left elbow then rose and fired to give her team a lead.
 
After forcing a shot clock violation on the next possession, the Spartans went up four on a Raven Russell layup with 1:28 remaining, but the Bison scored four-straight in the final minute to send the game to overtime. Jayla Miles cut the deficit in half with 54 seconds to play before Ayonna Williams hit a clutch, game-tying layup with 0.6 seconds showing on the clock.
 
Norfolk State advanced the ball to the frontcourt with a timeout and found Roberts alone at the rim on a lob pass, but the senior guard/forward could not get the potential walk-off basket to go down.
 
The Spartans never trailed in the overtime period, out-scoring HU 9-3 in the extra five minutes. The Bison did not make a field goal in overtime, going 0-of-9 from the floor. Norfolk State made two of its six shot attempts.
 
Overtime started slowly, but NSU netted the first two points on a Swinson layup with 1:42 into the period. Roberts knocked down a jumper 2:23 later, and the game devolved into a foul-shooting contest. The Spartans made five of their final 10 attempts at the foul line, while the Bison made two of four inside the final minute.
 
Norfolk State scored the first six points of the game and led 8-2 midway through the opening quarter. Long kicked off the scoring on a jumper at the 9:29 mark, then the Spartans went quiet for the next three minutes and 14 seconds before Croker's layup.
 
Howard did not record a point until the 5:27 mark of the period. The Bison missed their first eight shots before Bryant's basket and shot only 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from the field in the quarter.
 
Croker made both free throws with 5:14 to play, but HU countered with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 10-10 with 43 seconds left in the quarter. The Spartans committed five of their seven first-quarter turnovers during the Bison run.
 
Norfolk State started the second quarter strong, scoring the first eight of the stanza for a 10-0 run across 2:27 of game time. Howard went ahead 25-22 with a 10-0 run which ended with 2:20 left in the half. Sarah Edmond pushed the HU advantage to four with 1:43 to play, but Long responded with the lone trey of the game to stem the tide.
 
Edmond finished the game with 10 points, five assists and three steals. Bryant paced Howard with an 11-point, 15-rebound double-double.
 
NSU blocked nine shots in the victory, including a season-best five rejections by Roberts. Croker collected a pair of blocks as well.
 
The Spartans conclude the regular season against Hampton on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The two teams are tied for third in the MEAC standings, and the winning team will receive a bye in the upcoming MEAC Tournament.