Women's Basketball 1/26/2015 10:07:00 PM

Women’s Basketball Edges By Norfolk State

Box Score

SAVANNAH, Ga. – In a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) battle for second place in the standings, Savannah State edged out a 56-54 win over Norfolk State in Tiger Arena on Monday to move up.

After a neck-and-neck battle for most of the 40, SSU edged out to a 53-48 lead with 7:37 to play on Monday, but the relentless Lady Spartans came pounding back.

Kayla Roberts hit a free-throw, and followed it with a 3-pointer to cut SSU's lead to 53-52 with 4:45 to play. Ronesia Spicer added a layup two minutes later to lift Norfolk State to a 54-53 lead with 2:33 to play.

Ten seconds later SSU senior Jasmine Norman was fouled on the way to the hoop. She sank both free throws to tie the game at 54 all.

After a couple of missed shots from both teams, time was ticking away, and an extra period seem inevitable. With 16 seconds to play, Norman again drove to the basket and again drew the foul. She did her job at the free-throw line, sinking both to lift SSU to a 56-54 lead.

Norman was one of three Lady Tigers to finish in double-digits. It was the 13^th time this season the senior has done so; finishing with 13 points on the night. She is shooting 72 percent from the free-thrown line this season and is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points a game.

Rae Corbo missed a desperate attempt to force overtime as the Lady Tiger defense staved off Norfolk State to earn their 5^th MEAC win of the season.

Savannah State takes sole possession of second place in the MEAC standings after beating both the No. 1 team, Hampton (6-1), on Saturday, and the No. 2 team, Norfolk State (5-3), on Monday. They improve to 10-9 on the season and 5-2 in conference play.

Leading the field in scoring was MEAC preseason player of the year Ezinne Kalu, who despite an atypical shooting percentage (33 percent) from the floor, still managed to finish with 17 points.

Sophomore Kenyata Hendrix joined the two seniors in double-digits with 10 points on the night, while Bria Dorsey and Tiyonda Davis each added six. Davis recorded a season-high seven blocks in the game. SSU, as a team, recorded a season-high nine blocks.

Savannah State came out of the gate firing on Monday after their big win over Hampton on Saturday that snapped the reigning MEAC champ's 54-game win streak versus conference opponents.

The Lady Tigers opened with a 6-0 run behind baskets from freshman Shanikwa Buie, Kalu and Davis. Norfolk scrambled to get some offense going, but found some room where they work best, the free-throw line.

The Lady Spartans came into the game shooting 71.6 percent from the charity strip. Corbo hit two pretty free shots to give Norfolk their first points of the night. The team finished the game with a 71.4 percent clip from the charity strip, hitting 10-of-14 attempts.

After Norfolk cut SSU's lead to two points, the Lady Tigers offense came alive with an 11-0 run that gave them a 21-8 lead with 13:05 to play in the first period. Kalu finished the team's first four-point play of the season during the run.

SSU maintained their lead for most of the half, but Norfolk State began to edge back into the contest in the waning minutes. Roberts hit a 3-pointer with 2:07 to play to cut SSU's lead to 30-29. Roberts then gave the visitors their first lead of the game behind a good layup with 1:09 to play.

Roberts led the Lady Spartans on the night with 13 points, going 2-for-4 from downtown and 5-for-10 from the floor.

Norfolk State held onto the 31-30 lead into the locker room.

Savannah State quickly regained their lead in the opening seconds of the second period. Dorsey finished a layup on a fast break and Kalu later followed it with a 3-pointer to get things going.

Teams traded point-for-point, never getting out of a single-digit spread for the entire second period. Norfolk State's only two leads came in the final two minutes of each period. SSU led the game for 35 of the 40 minutes.

Both teams shot under 38 percent from the floor, but Norfolk State earned the rebound advantage (42-41), and committed more turnovers (17-14). SSU had 10 steals, as Kalu registered four, and continues to lead the MEAC, averaging 3.1 a game.

The Lady Tigers continue to be dominate on home court, improving to 16-4 overall record in Tiger Arena since the beginning of the 2013-14 season. They are 6-2 on at home this season.

Savannah State concludes the three-game MEAC home stand with a visit from North Carolina A&T State on Jan. 31. The Lady Tigers beat the Aggies earlier this season, 59-56, in Greensboro, N.C.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Bria Dorsey: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#2 Kenyata Hendrix: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#4 Jasmine Norman: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#23 Ezinne Kalu: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#44 Tiyonda Davis: C; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#15 Shanikwa Buie: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#1 Bria Dorsey
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#2 Kenyata Hendrix
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#4 Jasmine Norman
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#23 Ezinne Kalu
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#44 Tiyonda Davis
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: C

#15 Shanikwa Buie
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F