Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Junior guard Corey Lyons (Bronx, N.Y.) led all scorers with 21 points, and senior guard Tony Murphy (Paterson, N.J.) added 19 to help Norfolk State snap its four-game losing streak and defeat Jacksonville State 76-72 on Saturday at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

Junior guard Michael Deloach (Rocky Mount, N.C.) and senior center Larry Vickers (Virginia Beach, Va.) added 12 points apiece for the Spartans (3-8), who shot 48 percent from the floor, 59 in the second half.

The loss was the seventh in a row for the Gamecocks (2-10).

JSU led early, but the Spartans went on a 12-1 spurt late in the first half to take a lead they would not relinquish.

The Spartans, who led by six at the half, claimed their first double-digit lead of the second half at 39-28 on a tip-in by Vickers two and a half minutes into the period. NSU slowly stretched its lead to 20 points, at 60-40, on a fast-break layup by Lyons with 9:44 remaining.

But the Gamecocks slowly chipped away at their deficit, hitting four of their nine 3-pointers in the next six minutes. J.J. Wesley hit two of those. JSU got as close as four points on several occasions in the final three minutes, but NSU held the hosts at bay.

NSU shot 79 percent (15-of-19) from the free throw line for the game, 82 percent (9-of-11) in the second half. Lyons and Murphy combined to go 9-of-10 on the night.

Murphy added six rebounds, three assists and a career-high five steals for NSU. Sophomore forward Brandon Monroe (Raeford, N.C.) pulled down a team-best and career-high nine rebounds.

Nick Murphy had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead JSU. Wesley and Will Ginn added 14 points apiece, and Amadou Mbodji had 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Spartans, who have played 10 of their first 11 games of the year away from home, play seven of their next nine games at Echols Hall. That stretch begins on Monday, Jan. 7, when NSU hosts North Carolina Central at 7 p.m.