Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – Mario Moody and Jordan Potts each scored 23 points to lead Bethune-Cookman past the Norfolk State men's basketball team by a 72-70 score on Monday night in a MEAC matchup at Joseph Echols Hall.
 
Potts sank 10-of-11 from the foul line to offset a 5-of-17 effort from the floor, while Moody converted 9-of-16 overall to hand the Spartans their first MEAC loss of the year. NSU (6-12 overall, 2-1 MEAC) offset a poor shooting effort in the second half by hitting 19-of-21 from the foul line after the break and 29-of-36 overall.
 
The Wildcats, though, made 24-of-53 (45.3 percent) from the floor and drained eight 3-pointers while holding NSU to an 18-of-45 overall effort (40.0 percent).
 
Potts and Moody were the only two double-digit scorers for the Wildcats (5-12, 2-1 MEAC), who led by three at the break. They shot exactly 50 percent in the second half (13-of-26) and never trailed once in the second half.
 
Still, NSU never trailed by double digits. The deficit swung between two and six points for the first six minutes coming out of the half. Up by just two, the Wildcats used a 9-2 run to push the advantage to nine with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Potts capped it with a trey, but NSU slowly chipped away. Senior D'Shon Taylor and freshman Alex Long each had four points during a 10-2 run that cut the B-CU lead to just 53-52 at the 8:38 mark.
 
After buckets by Moody and Potts, NSU again cut the Wildcat lead to one, 60-59, when Taylor hit a shot in the lane. A minute and a half later, senior Jeff Short tied the score at 64-64 thanks to a pair of attempts from the line. But two possessions later, B-CU snagged a pair of offensive boards on 3-point misses, the second sending LaRon Smith to the line.
 
Smith made both with 1:03 left, and Potts later added a 3-point play and made 3-of-4 from the foul line to close out the game. NSU missed a pair of 3-pointers in between, and last second treys from Short and senior Charles Oliver only sliced the deficit to just two before time ran out.
 
Short finished with 19 points thanks in part to a 9-of-9 effort from the free throw line. Taylor added 13, while Long had a career-best 13 – after reaching double figures for the first time at NSU on Saturday – to go along with six boards and two blocks.
 
Bethune-Cookman got off to a quick start, scoring eight of the game's first 10 points. Moody scored the first 11 overall for the Wildcats, who eventually lost the lead after the Spartans scored seven straight for a 21-14 advantage at the 8:43 mark. Junior Jonathan Wade capped that run with a pair of free throws, and a few minutes later Sophomore Zaynah Robinson hit a pair from the line to open an eight-point lead for the Spartans at 24-16, the largest of the half for either team.
 
B-CU answered with a 9-1 run to tie the game at 25-25 with less than four minutes left in the half. Down 28-26 with two minutes to go, the Wildcats scored seven of the last nine points of the first stanza to take a 33-30 lead into the break.
 
Moody had 17 altogether in the first half, while Long led the Spartans with seven at the intermission. The free-shooting Wildcats made 5-of-16 from the 3-point line in the first half, part of an 8-of-26 effort for the game.
 
Sophomore Jordan Butler also reached double figures for NSU with 10 with a team-high six rebounds. NSU had its biggest advantage in outscoring B-CU 16-8 in points off turnovers.
 
Smith had nine points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for B-CU, although NSU held the slight edge on the boards, 30-29.
 
NSU will hit the road to play at North Carolina Central next Saturday.