Nansemond-Suffolk rallied in the final minute, but rival Norfolk Academy handed the Lady Saints an 0-2 finish to their NSA Girls Basketball Holiday Tournament with a 44-38 Lady Bulldog win Thursday evening.

With intense defense leading to too many Lady Saint turnovers, Norfolk Academy won each of the first three periods, building a 36-22 lead.

NSA (5-3) showed smooth offense, leading to buckets by Jessica Pieroni and Macy Mears, for a 4-0 lead three minutes into the contest. Nothing about the rest of NSA’s first half went so easily.

Along with clamping down on Lady Saint open shots, Norfolk Academy’s defense also paid off into Lady Bulldog points in transition.

NA scored two fast-break lay-ups in a quick 6-0 run to gain a 14-7 lead early in the second period. The Lady Bulldogs kept going to a 23-11 halftime lead.

The Lady Saints chipped the lead down to 25-17 before five straight NA points made it 30-17 with just under three minutes to play in the third period.

NSA started the fourth quarter with plenty of fight left. Eighth-grader Harper Birdsong drained back-to-back jumpers to get NSA within 36-28. Morgan Lokie’s rebound and long pass led to a bucket on the break by Pieroni to make it 37-30 NA.

The Lady Bulldogs resumed their tough defense and had a comfortable lead, 43-32, with 1:13 left.

Norfolk Academy cleared its bench, which sparked a timeout by NSA head coach Kim Aston. Aston used her huddle to let her team know she didn’t think the game was over.

With NSA’s full-court pressing caused repeated turnovers and a couple empty NA trips to the foul line, the Lady Saints got within 43-38 after two Pieroni free throws with 0:26 left.

The Lady Bulldog starters returned to the floor at that point. NSA still had a possession to get the lead down to two or three points, but a three-point shot by Birdsong was off the mark.

Birdsong and Pieroni led NSA with 12 points each.

The Lady Saints play StoneBridge on Monday at 2:30 p.m. at Tidewater Academy in the first day of a two-day tourney in Wakefield.