Emmitsburg, Md. (Dec. 13, 2014)--Byron Ashe hit a pair of clutch three-pointers to help Mount St. Mary's overcome a five-point deficit in overtime on the way to a 67-64 win over Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at Knott Arena.

Trailing 62-57 midway through the overtime period, Ashe connected on three-pointers on each of the Mount's next two possessions to give the Mount (3-5) at 63-62 advantage.  After a Norfolk State miss, Ashe had a chance to extend the lead with another three-point attempt, but the shot was off the mark. 

The Mount's Chris Martin came down with the rebound, and freshman point guard Junior Robinson was fouled.  He calmly sank both free throws to push the lead to 65-62 with 38 seconds on the clock.  Norfolk State's Jeff Short was then fouled with 25.3 seconds left, and he hit both free throws to make it a one-point game.

Robinson was fouled six seconds later, and hit 1-of-2 at the line to make it 66-64.  Norfolk State's D'Shon Taylor then missed a three-pointer with Kristijan Krajina corralling the rebound.  Krajina was fouled, and he hit 1-of-2 with 12 seconds left for a 67-64 advantage.

The Spartans (6-5) had two chances to tie in the final three seconds, but both three-point attempts by Malike Gray and Jeff Short were blocked by Taylor Danaher and Krajina, respectively, to allow the Mount to preserve the win.

Ashe finished with a team-high 15 points off the bench for the Mount while Robinson added a career-high 14 points while dishing out five assists in the win.  Gregory Graves chipped in nine points and 11 boards with Krajina finishing with eight points and five boards.

Taylor led Norfolk State with 23 points and six boards with Short adding 15 points in the loss.  RaShid Gaston added nine points and 12 rebounds for Norfolk State as well.

The Mountaineers used a 15-to-3 first-half run to take control of the game.  Trailing 11-10, Krajina had a putback and Danaher a hook shot in the paint to give the Mount the lead.  Robinson added a bucket in the paint with Will Miller draining a three-pointer to make the score 19-11.  After Norfolk State's Taylor scored, Ashe hit a three-pointer to push the Mount lead to nine.  A Danaher bucket and an Ashe free throw capped the run as the Mount took a 25-14 lead with 7:29 left in the half.

From there the Mount maintained a comfortable lead until Norfolk State rallied in the final nine minutes.  A Khaldi Nwandu lay-up gave the Mount a 52-39 lead with 8:59 left in the game.  Norfolk State then held the Mount without a field goal for the next 7:30 during a 14-to-1 run that tied the game at 53-53 with 2:58 left in regulation.

Robinson converted on a drive to the basket to push the Mount ahead with 2:27 left, but Gaston hit a pair of free throws for the Spartans to tie the score again.  Robinson again scored in the paint to give the Mount a 57-55 lead with 1:25 left, but Short's backdoor lay0up with 1:14 remaining tied the score at 57-57.  Each team missed shots in the final minute, forcing the overtime period.

Mount St. Mary's shot 42.1 percent overall, and was 9-for-28 (.321) from three-point range.  The Mount committed 10 turnovers in the game, but was outrebounded 41-32.  Norfolk State shot 41.5 percent in the contest and was 16-of-25 (.640) at the charity stripe.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Saturday, December 20, with a 1:00 p.m. game at American.

Game Notes:  The Mount improved to 1-1 at home this season, and 21-6 at Knott Arena under head coach Jamion Christian...The Mount now holds a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with Norfolk State.