Box Score
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State junior center Kyle O'Quinn put on a show for the ESPNU cameras on Monday night at Echols Hall, scoring 19 of his game-high 26 points in a scintillating first half that propelled the Spartans to their third straight win, 84-61, before a season-high crowd of 3,002.
O'Quinn scored 17 points and made his first seven shots in the game's first six minutes to stake the Spartans (5-13, 3-3 MEAC) to a big early lead. O'Quinn would go on to snatch 13 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season, handed out three assists and blocked three shots.
O'Quinn, who earlier in the day won his third MEAC Defensive Player of the Week honor of the year, scored in almost every way imaginable. He scored the game's first basket with a left-handed half-hook shot in the lane. A minute later, he drilled a 25-foot 3-pointer, then scored on a stick-back to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead. O'Quinn then dished to Chris McEachin for an easy two and a 9-0 Spartans' edge.
O'Quinn wasn't done. He scored after a high-post feed from Tim Zephyr hit another long 3-pointer, scored on a follow-slam, then converted a three-point play, all in the game's first six minutes. O'Quinn went to the bench for a breather with 14:05 remaining in the first half having scored 17 points as NSU led the Bulldogs, 22-8.
SCSU (5-14, 1-5) could get no closer than 10 the rest of the half and trailed 44-26 at the break. O'Quinn had 19 points in the first half. The Spartans shot 50 percent from the floor, held the Bulldogs to 36 percent shooting, and committed just four turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
Khalif Toombs and Darnell Porter hit 3-pointers on consecutive Bulldog possessions to get SCSU within 46-32. But the Spartans answered with an 11-5 run that was capped by a pair of Rodney McCauley treys that increased the lead to 20, 57-37.
NSU led by at least 13 the rest of the way and by as many as 25 after a Riley Maye free throw with 2:23 left.
O'Quinn capped his night with an off-balanced, one-handed scoop shot off glass with 2:51 remaining. He finished his night 11-of-15 from the floor, 2-of-2 from 3-pointe range, and 2-of-2 from the foul line. As a footnote to his offensive production, O'Quinn also swatted three shots to surpass his own NSU single-season Division I era (since 1997-98) blocks record. O'Quinn, who blocked 51 shots last season, now has 53 this year.
Rob Hampton added 15 points for the Spartans, 10 in the second half. He also had a career-high five steals.
The Spartans shot 49 percent from the floor (30-of-61) and 43 percent (9-of-21) from long distance. Seven different Spartans made at least one 3-pointer.
Presano Bell led SCSU with 16 points, Brandon Riley had 13 and Tyvon Williams 12.
The Spartans are back in action and back on ESPNU this Saturday when they face two-time defending MEAC champion Morgan State. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.
