Box Score
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Jason Holsinger had 24 points and seven assists as host Evansville sent Norfolk State to its fourth straight loss, 80-71, on Saturday afternoon at Roberts Stadium.
Holsinger was 6-of-8 from 3-point range for the Purple Aces (5-5), who were 10-of-16 (63 percent) behind the arc as a team. Shy Ely added 15 points and Darin Granger had 13 points and three 3-pointers.
The Purple Aces held NSU (2-8) scoreless for four and a half minutes during one first-half stretch and led by as many as 12. Evansville led 34-27 on the strength of 45 percent shooting the floor (9-of-20) and 75 percent accuracy (6-of-8) from the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes.
The Purple Aces pushed their lead back into double digits at 37-27 on a 3-pointer by Holsinger a minute into the second half.
But NSU outscored UE 21-7 over the ensuing eight and a half minutes to take its first lead of the game. Junior guard Corey Lyons (Bronx, N.Y.) and senior guard Tony Murphy (Paterson, N.J.) combined to score all but four points in the spurt, which ended with NSU ahead 48-44.
There were four ties over the next six minutes, but Holsinger put UE ahead to stay at 62-59 with his sixth and final triple of the game with 4:18 left. NSU would get as close as one point, but the Purple Aces were 11-of-12 from the free throw line down the stretch.
Murphy led NSU with 19 points. He made three 3-pointers and added four assists and three steals. Lyons had 16 points and six rebounds, tied for his highest output on the boards this season.
The Spartans also got big contributions from junior guard Michael Deloach (Rocky Mount, N.C.) and senior center Larry Vickers (Virginia Beach, Va.). Deloach came off the bench to score 13 points and tally team-highs of seven rebounds and five assists. Vickers had just six points, but blocked a career-high six shots and also matched his personal-best with three steals.
NSU is off for a week for the holidays before returning to action next Saturday, Dec. 29, at Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Ala.
