Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State men's basketball team set school records in both free throws and free throw attempts in a foul-infested 91-87 victory over Florida A&M Thursday night in the MEAC opener at Joseph Echols Hall.

The teams combined for 73 fouls, and NSU hit 41-of-62 overall from the foul line for the game. The Rattlers have 43 fouls called on them in a contest that took more than two hours and 20 minutes.

The Spartans improved to 6-3 overall and 1-0 in the conference, their 20th-straight regular season MEAC victory. FAMU, fell to 2-6, 0-1.

The Rattlers' 43 fouls and NSU's 41 made free throws both stand as the second-most by a Division I team this year and the most in a regulation game. The Spartans broke their previous school records of 38 free throws and 58 attempts, set on Nov. 30, 1991 against West Virginia State at home.

The Spartans won despite not hitting a field goal and attempting only three in the last 7:20 of the game. NSU never had a double-digit lead in the second half but hit 21-of-26 from the foul line in that last stretch of the contest.

The teams combined for 100 free throw attempts.

The Rattlers cut the Spartan lead to two four different times in the last 1:01 of the game, the final time with just 12 seconds left on a trey from Jamie Adams. Two free throws from senior Pendarvis Williams a second later iced the game.

With 16 points, Williams was one of six Spartans to reach double figures, as NSU topped the 90-point plateau for the fourth time this year. Senior Malcolm Hawkins finished with 20 points on just four field goal attempts thanks to a 13-of-14 effort from the charity stripe.

Norfolk State hit 22-of-46 (47.8 percent) from the field, while Florida A&M had 26 more attempts but connected on just 27-of-72 (37.5 percent).

The Spartans nursed a six-point lead coming out of the half, but back-to-back layups by the Rattlers got them to within two. The Spartans scored the next six points of the contest as the game began to bog down with numerous whistles. Of the 73 fouls in the game, 46 came after the intermission.

NSU failed to make a field goal for seven minutes but never relinquished the lead. Senior Riley Maye finally ended that drought with a shot from beyond the free throw line for a 65-59 advantage at 8:59. Williams hit a trey and then a layup from junior Jamel Fuentes put the Spartans up by nine, 70-61 at 7:22, NSU's last bucket of the game.

Maye finished with 13 points, while Fuentes added 10 with eight assists and six boards.

Hawkins had nine points to start the game to give the Spartans the early advantage, and a huge putback dunk by junior LaTre'e Russell finished a 10-2 run for a 25-13 NSU lead, the largest of the night. The Rattlers scored eight of the next 11 points, and a pair of free throws from Reggie Lewis made it 32-27 with 6:32 left in the half.

Maye hit a pair of 3-pointers, the first off an inbounds pass with just two seconds on the shot clock, for a 10-point edge. Florida A&M eventually scored six of the last eight points of the half, all with less than a minute left, to make it a six-point game at the intermission, 45-39.

Maye had 11 at the break.

Senior Anell Alexis (13 points) and senior Brandon Goode (10 points, eight rebounds) also reached double figures for the night for NSU.

Adams led all players with 24 points, including a 12-of-14 effort from the foul line. Lewis added 14, and Trey Kellum totaled six points and nine boards, helping the Rattlers finish with a 46-39 rebounding edge.

FAMU had 20 offensive boards and outscored NSU 28-14 in second-chance points.

The Spartans will host Bethune-Cookman on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Echols Hall.