Box Score
NORFOLK, Va. — Guard Michael Deloach (Rocky Mount, N.C.) scored a game-high 28 points to lead five Norfolk State players in double figures, and the Spartans broke a two-game losing streak with a 96-69 win over Florida A&M in a nationally-televised game on ESPNU at Echols Hall on Monday night.
Deloach was 12-of-18 from the floor, 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds and three assists with no turnovers in 29 minutes of play. But he was far from the only standout. Sophomore guard Aleek Pauline (Jamaica, N.Y.) contributed a career-high 16 points to go with five boards, five assists and three steals. Fellow sophomore backcourt player James Williams (Miramar, Fla.) scored a career-best 12 points off the NSU bench, while starters Corey Lyons (Bronx, N.Y.) and Joseph Dorsett-Jeffreys (Bronx, N.Y.) scored 13 and 11, respectively.
NSU (8-13, 6-4 MEAC) played its finest half of the season in the opening 20 minutes, outscoring the Rattlers (6-16, 4-6) 50-25. NSU had just three turnovers and shot 51 percent from the floor while holding FAMU to 32 percent shooting in the opening stanza. Deloach led the charge, scoring 16 first-half points.
Dorsett-Jeffreys converted two traditional 3-point plays and Pauline another on NSU's first three possessions of the second half as NSU stretched its lead to 29. The Rattlers didn't fold, shooting 52 percent from the floor in the second half, but they could not slow the Spartans. NSU shot 53 percent from the field after halftime, 52 in the half, in registering a season-high 96 points. FAMU could not get closer than 19 points in the second half.
Forward Brandon Monroe (Raeford, N.C.) tied Deloach for team-high rebound honors with six, and Monroe also swatted three shots. Five players grabbed at least five rebounds for NSU, which topped the Rattlers 45-29 on the boards.
Larry Jackson led FAMU with 18 points, with Lamar Twitty adding a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Bryant and Dale Hughes scored 12 apiece for FAMU, which lost its fifth straight.
The Spartans embark on their final MEAC road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to Delaware State on Saturday and Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday.
