Box Score
NORFOLK, Va. – Rob Hampton scored a team-high 19 points and Kyle O'Quinn recorded a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds to help Norfolk State snap its 11-game losing streak with an 86-65 win over Florida A&M on Monday night at Echols Hall.
Hampton and O'Quinn also helped spark a 16-1 Spartans' run to start the second half, breaking open what was a close game at halftime and propelling the Spartans (2-12, 1-2 MEAC) to their sixth straight win over FAMU (5-10, 0-3).
Aleek Pauline added 14 points and six assists to help NSU avoid dropping its 12th straight game, which would have established a new school record. The 11-game losing streak tied last year's team for the longest in school history. And like last year, NSU snapped its streak against the Rattlers.
Both teams started off sluggishly, as NSU held a 5-4 lead at the first media timeout with 14:43 left in the first half. A 3-pointer by Brandon Hosely gave the Rattlers their first lead at 13-12, then a layup by Larry Jackson and free throw by Amin Stevens pushed the lead to four.
But NSU answered with a 12-4 run. Chris McEachin and Hampton hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions and Pauline made a driving layup to give NSU the 28-22 edge. The Spartans, who missed seven of their first 10 shots, bounced back to shoot 50 percent from the floor in the first half (14-of-28), which ended with the Spartans leading 35-30.
The Spartans seized control with a 16-1 outburst to start the second half. Another trey by Hampton and a dunk by O'Quinn quickly doubled the Spartans' lead to 10, 40-30. O'Quinn capped the run with a traditional three-point play to give the Spartans a 51-31 lead. FAMU did not score its first basket of the second half until a jumper by Stevens with 13:48 left in the game. By that time, the damage had been done, and NSU would lead by as many as 24 points down the stretch.
Stevens finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for FAMU, which lost its fifth in a row.
O'Quinn blocked five shots for the second straight game, one factor in the Spartans' ability to hold FAMU to just 32.3 percent shooting in the second half and 38.6 for the game.
Hampton dished out a season-high seven assists for NSU, which tallied a season high 18 as a team. McEachin had four steals and Pauline added three for the Spartans.
NSU looks for its first two-game win streak of the season on Saturday at Hampton University. The basketball Battle of the Bay is slated for a 6 p.m. tip time at the HU Convocation Center.
