Box Score
NORFOLK, Va. – Sophomore Batavia Owens hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left in regulation then added six points in overtime to lead the Norfolk State women's basketball team to a 75-70 win over McNeese State Saturday afternoon at Joseph Echols Hall.
The Spartans led for most of the first half, but the Cowgirls rallied in the second half after being down by as much as 11. After McNeese State (6-4) took a two-point lead with 24 seconds to go, Owens got fouled on the ensuing possession and sank both free throws with 12.3 seconds to go.
NSU, which improved to 5-3 on the season, sank all seven free throws in overtime, including four by junior Whitney Long with less than 20 seconds left in the extra session. Owens hit a trio of baskets down low, and a three-point play by junior Tyisha Bridges helped NSU pull ahead of the Cowgirls with just over two minutes left.
NSU had hit just 7-of-15 from the charity stripe before Owens sank both shots late in the second half. NSU made 10 straight free throws to close the game, shooting 16-of-24 overall (66.7 percent).
Long led all players with 22 points, her second straight game with more than 20, including a perfect 4-of-4 from the 3-point line. Long was also a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, all in the extra session. Junior Sarah Daily totaled 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while Owens added 12 points and five boards.
Sophomore Marian Brooks had nine points and led the Spartans with eight rebounds, while sophomore Recca Trice posted four assists. NSU led in rebounds, 41-37, for the game.
NSU equaled its number of wins from the previous two seasons combined with the victory.
McNeese State was led by Ashlyn Baggett with 20 points, and Caitlyn Baggett, who added 13 points and six assists. Ja'Niqua Kendrix had a team-high eight rebounds with nine points.
NSU caught fire in the first half, hitting over 50 percent on the way to a 47.3 percent shooting clip for the night on 26-of-55 shooting. That total included a 7-of-11 effort from beyond the arc.
The Cowgirls hit just 31.9 percent for the game on 22-of-69 shooting, including 4-of-18 from the 3-point line (22.2 percent). McNeese did connect on 22-of-29 free throw attempts, a 75.9 percent clip and committed just 12 turnovers on the day.
Long drained a 3-pointer to get NSU started off on the right foot at the start of the game, and NSU scored six straight points for a five-point lead, 11-6, with 13:49 to go. After the Cowgirls tied the game at 11-11, NSU got the lead up to six at 19-13 when Daily hit a 3-pointer with 10:45 left in the half.
That basket was part of a 15-5 run that gave NSU its biggest lead of the half, 26-16, with 7:44 to go, capped by Daily's fastbreak jumper. An 11-3 run by the Cowgirls, however, cut the NSU lead to two at 29-27, with 1:13 to go, but Long drained a 3-pointer and Trice connected on her shot with eight seconds left to give the Spartans a 34-27 lead at halftime.
Daily's 3-pointer a little over two minutes into the second half put NSU up by its biggest lead of the game, 42-31, but just as it looked that NSU was ready to take control of the game, McNeese State strung together a 13-1 run to take its first lead since 16:43 of the first half. The teams traded the lead 10 different times throughout the game.
Up 44-43 after that big run, the Cowgirls held NSU at bay, getting the lead up to five at 55-50 with six and a half minutes left in the second half. Brooks hit a layup to tie the score at 57-all, and after Brooks and Caitlyn Baggett exchanged free throws that still had NSU down by two, 60-58, Owens connected on both free throws to force the extra session.
A free throw by Ashlyn Baggett gave the Cowgirls their only lead of overtime, 65-64, with 2:47 left, but two free throws by Long and the 3-point play by Bridges put NSU up for good.
After an 11-day break, the Spartans will be back in action at George Mason on Dec. 29 before hosting Savannah State at Echols Hall Jan. 2.
