NORFOLK, Va. — Senior wing player Corey Lyons (Bronx, N.Y.) poured in 29 points, surpassing 1,000 for his career in the process, to help carry Norfolk State to its 15th straight win over Maryland Eastern Shore, 79-70, on Monday night at Echols Hall.
Lyons shot a blistering 9-of-13 from the floor, 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line for NSU (5-11, 3-2), which won for the fourth time in its last five games. Lyons becomes the 27th player in school history to hit the 1,000-point mark.
Lyons' running mate, Michael Deloach (Rocky Mount, N.C.), had a stellar all-around floor game, tallying 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Forward Neal Pitt scored a career-high 27 points, 23 in the second half, for the Hawks (3-10, 1-3).
UMES started the game strong. The Spartans missed six of their first eight shots and fell behind 10-2 after a layup by Marc Davis with 15:51 left in the first stanza. But the Spartans answered by making eight of their next 10 shots. Lyons scored eight points and hit a pair of treys in an 11-0 Spartan run that turned a 12-5 deficit into a 16-12 edge.
NSU limited the Hawks to 30 percent shooting and forced 10 UMES turnovers in the first half, taking a 39-25 lead into the break.
Lyons hit two free throws and Joseph Dorsett-Jeffreys (Bronx, N.Y.) banked in a short jumper to give NSU its largest lead of the game, 18, 43-25 early in the second half.
NSU could not shake the pesky Hawks, who shot 57 percent in the second half. Much of that was thanks to Pitt, who shot 9-of-13 after halftime. He also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
But each time the Hawks made a run, NSU had the answer. Lyons scored 16 of his points in the second half. His fourth 3-pointer of the night, from the left wing with 12:15 remaining, put him over the 1,000-point mark.
Davis, who scored 10 points, cut the Spartans' lead to 77-70 on a layup with 52 seconds left. But Lyons hit two free throws at the other end to seal the win.
While Lyons and Deloach continue to carry the bulk of the scoring load, the Spartans again got key contributions from other sources. Forwards Brandon Monroe (Raeford, N.C.) and Kevin Worsley (Chesapeake, Va.) each finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Worsley also handed out a season-high four assists, while Monroe had two assists and blocked two shots. Point guard Aleek Pauline (Jamaica, N.Y.) contributed seven points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals while committing just one turnover.
Gary Lee scored 17 and Jamie Boyer 11 for the Hawks.
NSU hits the road for its next four games, beginning with a 4 p.m. game Saturday at South Carolina State.
