Vickers Postgame Interview | James Postgame Interview

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Norfolk State women's basketball put an end to its three-game losing streak with its 69-45 win over Florida A&M inside the Al Lawson Center on Monday evening. The Spartans (12-11, 7-3 MEAC) led for the final 35 minutes and three seconds of the game in their fifth win by 20-plus points this season.
 
Three NSU players reached double figures in scoring and six had five or more points. Of the 12 Spartans to see the court on Monday, nine broke into the scoring column.
 
A trio of Spartans shared the game high with 14 points apiece. Raven Russell added four rebounds and three steals to her 14, while Kendrea Dawkins scored 14 with seven rebounds. Lastly, La'Deja James came off the bench for 14 points, five rebounds and two assists on 5-of-10 shooting for her 11th-straight outing with 10 or more points.
 
NSU moved the ball well in the victory, assisting on 15 of its 25 made baskets. No player logged more than two assists, but nine assisted at least once.
 
The Spartans overcame a shaky start to the game to shoot 60 percent in the first quarter en route to a 19-8 lead after the opening 10 minutes. NSU turned the ball over three times in the first four minutes and managed only four points.
 
After getting their feet underneath them, the Spartans scored 15 in the last six minutes on 8-of-11 shooting (72.7 percent) and three turnovers. A key 13-2 run over 4:17 turned the game in NSU's favor. James scored the first nine of the run and put her team ahead for good with a 3-pointer at the 5:03 mark.
 
After back-to-back baskets in the paint by Dawkins, the Lady Rattlers (3-10, 1-10) scored their final points of the quarter on free throws from Keziah Dilworth. From there, Russell netted the last four points, including a layup to beat the buzzer at the end of the period.
 
Mya Moye gave FAMU a lift in the second quarter, but the Lady Rattlers trailed 35-20 at the end of the first half. The freshman guard scored 10 of her team's 12 points in the frame and was 5-for-5 from the foul line.
 
The Lady Rattlers leaned heavily on free throws for their offensive production in the first half. FAMU was a perfect 7-of-7 on foul shots and scored 35 percent of its points at the charity stripe.
 
NSU scored the first four points in the second quarter and led 24-8, its largest lead of the first half. Moye bookended an Alexys Long jumper with a 3-pointer and layup, and a Candice Williams jump shot cut the deficit to 26-15 with 5:45 left in the frame.
 
Less than four minutes later, Moye was fouled in the act of shooting a 3-pointer and made all three foul shots to draw the Lady Rattlers to within 10 points.
 
James ensured the NSU lead would not dip below 10 points with her second 3-pointer of the game with 1:36 left to play. De'Janaire Deas closed out the half with a jumper to send the Spartans into the intermission with a 15-point advantage.
 
FAMU opened the third quarter on a 7-2 run and once again cut NSU's advantage to 10 points. The Spartans turned it over three times during the Lady Rattler's run and were 1-of-4 from the field.
 
Deas stopped a scoring drought of 4:28 on a jumper at the 3:28 mark, and Norfolk State answered with a 7-1 run. FAMU's final points of the quarter came with 1:06 remaining, and Russell closed out the frame with a pair of foul shots.
 
Norfolk State upped the heat in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Lady Rattlers 23-15. The Spartans shot 6-of-12 from the field in the period and were 2-of-4 from long range.
 
A 7-0 run over 3:03 put NSU on top 53-31 with 6:07 left to play. After FAMU scored the next four, Dawkins laid it in, and the Spartan's lead never dipped below 20 again.
 
Dawkins scored eight of her 14 in the fourth quarter on 3-of-5 shooting.
 
The final two-plus minutes of the game belonged to NSU's bench. Shekinah Howard scored six points in the closing stretch of the game to set a new career high and knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Spartans a 67-41 lead with 1:22 left to play.
 
For the game, the NSU reserves contributed 30 points for their second-highest scoring output of the season.
 
Defensively, the Spartans held FAMU to 26.3-percent shooting, including a 2-of-17 mark from deep. However, NSU struggled to keep the Lady Rattlers off the offensive glass. Led by Dy'Manee Royal's four offensive rebounds, FAMU snared 17 of its own misses and scored 15 second-chance points.
 
Royal nearly logged a double-double in the defeat, finishing with eight points and a game-best 10 rebounds.
 
Her second-quarter outburst excluded, Moye struggled against the Spartans. FAMU's leading scorer netted 12 points but did so on 2-of-12 shooting. In her two games against NSU this season, Moye shot just 25 percent from the floor and was 3-of-20 on 3-pointers.
 
Norfolk State was plus-one in the turnover department with 19 giveaways to FAMU's 20. However, the Spartans scored 26 points off the Lady Rattlers' miscues while limiting them to eight points off of turnovers.
 
Monday's victory gives NSU its longest-ever winning streak against FAMU. Dating back to last season, the Spartans have won each of the last three against the Lady Rattlers. The win also gives head coach Larry Vickers a 3-2 record against Florida A&M. Vickers now has a winning record against seven MEAC programs.
 
The Spartans now prepare to host the two schools from North Carolina. NSU plays N.C. Central on Saturday at 4 p.m. before welcoming N.C. A&T and its 10-0 mark in MEAC games next Monday at 5:30 p.m.