Box Score
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Colt Ryan scored a game-high 28 points, 19 from the free-throw line, and host Evansville rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to send Norfolk State to its eighth straight loss, 87-69, on Thursday night at Roberts Stadium.
Rob Hampton scored 19 points and Chris McEachin had 17 for the Spartans (1-9), who shot a season-high 54.5 percent from the floor. But the Spartans could not overcome a season-high 27 turnovers and 36 personal fouls, which led to the host Purple Aces (6-4) shooting an astounding 54 free throws.
Hampton, who scored 14 points in the first half, hit two early 3-pointers to stake the Spartans to a lead they would hold for the final 16:36 of the half. Hampton also converted a traditional three-point play with 1:34 left before halftime to give the Spartans a 36-29 edge going into the break. NSU shot a sizzling 61 percent (14-of-23) from the floor in the first half while holding Evansville to 39 percent (9-of-23).
The Spartans kept the pressure on Evansville in the second half as both teams came out firing. The Purple Aces hit five of their first seven shots in the second half, but NSU maintained a seven-point lead, 47-40, when freshman Pendarvis Williams scored a three-point play with 14:06 left. Clint Hopf, however, scored seven points in a 9-2 Evansville run that tied the game at 49-all with 11:15 remaining.
There were three ties and three lead-changes over the next three minutes until Ryan hit a 3-pointer to give UE the lead for good at 58-55. Ned Cox added a triple of his own to push the lead to four. From there, the Purple Aces sealed the win by parading to the free-throw line. The hosts did not make a field goal over the final 6:54, but scored their final 24 points from the charity stripe. Of the Purple Aces' 58 second-half points, 32 came from the free-throw line.
NSU had four starters foul out, including the team's leading scorers, Hampton and Kyle O'Quinn. O'Quinn was hampered by foul trouble in both halves, eventually exiting after posting season lows of four points, zero rebounds and 17 minutes played.
Hopf added 19 points for Evansville, which shot 71 percent (12-of-17) from the floor in the second half. Hopf hit 6-of-7 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the foul line.
The Spartans are off for Christmas before returning to action at Ohio University next Thursday at 7 p.m.
