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Corey Lyons
Mark Sutton

Men's Basketball Matt Michalec, SID

Lyons Nets 28 as NSU Holds off Bethune-Cookman in MEAC Quarterfinals

Lyons scored a game-high 28 points to lead NSU to victory.

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Senior Corey Lyons (Bronx, N.Y.) scored a game-high 28 points as No. 3 seed Norfolk State advanced to the MEAC Tournament semifinals with a 63-58 quarterfinal win over No. 6 Bethune-Cookman on Thursday night at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Lyons was 7-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-7 from behind the arc for the Spartans (12-17), who play No. 2 South Carolina State at 8 p.m. on Friday. This will be NSU's fourth appearance in the MEAC Tournament semifinals and second in a row.

Lyons hit his first four shots from the floor, including three 3-pointers, en route to 13 first-half points. After Michael Deloach (Rocky Mount, N.C.) hit two free throws, NSU led 27-15 with 4:05 left in the opening half. But the Wildcats (17-16) hung around, outscoring NSU 10-2 to get within 29-25 at the half.

B-CU started the second half strong, scoring eight of the first 10 points of the half to take a 33-31 lead after an Alexander Starling layup. But NSU scored the next six points, all from the free-throw line, to retake the lead for good. The Wildcats were also hurt when standout guard C.J. Reed picked up two personal fouls, one of them a technical that forced him to the bench with four fouls early in the half.

NSU widened its lead to nine, 51-42, after a 3-point play by Lyons with six minutes remaining. But the Spartans could not put B-CU away, in part to their 50 percent free-throw shooting (22-of-44). B-CU got as close as three on multiple occasions, the last at 61-58 on two free throws by Reed with 44 seconds left. But Brandon Monroe (Raeford, N.C.) and Lyons each hit one foul shot down the stretch to preserve the win.

Aleek Pauline (Jamaica, N.Y.) added 10 points and four assists for NSU. Monroe grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and blocked two shots. Deloach was held to nine points, nearly 13 below his average, to snap his 20-game double-figure scoring streak.

Reed had 21 points but shot just 5-of-17 for the Wildcats, who shot just 34 percent from the floor.  John Holmes added 10 points.

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