WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Kyle O'Quinn tallied 13 points and eight rebounds, and No. 2 seed Norfolk State parlayed a strong defensive effort and good bench play into a 58-46 win over No. 11 seed Florida A&M on Friday night in a MEAC Tournament semifinal game at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The win propels the Spartans (24-9) into Saturday's 1 p.m. championship game against fourth-seeded Bethune-Cookman.

NSU held the upstart Rattlers (10-23) to 34 percent shooting and forced FAMU into 19 turnovers.

The Spartans started strong, scoring the game's first seven points. But FAMU, playing its third game in four days, answered with a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 9-7. That was the first of six lead-changes in a tight first half in which the two teams combined to make just 18 of 50 field goals. A layup by O'Quinn with 30 seconds left in the first half gave NSU a 23-22 lead going into the half.

The Rattlers took their final lead of the game after an Amin Stevens fast-break layup put them ahead 29-28 with 15:39 left. But O'Quinn scored inside, then Johnson scored on back-to-back possessions on a 3-pointer and a mid-range jumper to finish off a 7-0 spurt that put NSU ahead by six. Johnson would later push the lead to eight, 39-31, on a fast-break dunk with 8:31 left in the game.

FAMU closed to within four, 39-35, on another Stevens layup a minute later. But O'Quinn and Quasim Pugh each hit a pair of free throws on NSU's next two possessions, and the lead didn't dip below six again.

After struggling from the floor in the first half, the Spartans connected on 42 percent in the second half. They also hit 12-of-18 from the foul line in the final 20 minutes to keep FAMU at bay.
 
Johnson scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds off the Spartan bench, and Pugh matched his season high with 10 points while handing out a career-high four assists. NSU got 28 points from its bench.

Stevens led all players with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Rattlers. He was the only FAMU player who scored more than five points.

The Spartans will be making their second-ever MEAC Tournament championship appearance on Saturday, and first since losing to Morgan State in the 2009 final. NSU and Bethune-Cookman are both seeking their first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament berth.