NORFOLK, Va. – Jonathan Wade completely dominated on Tuesday night, scoring a career-high 34 points to carry the Norfolk State men's basketball team to a 91-55 win over Elizabeth City State in a non-conference matchup at Joseph Echols Hall.
 
The senior shot 12-of-17 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, as well as 7-of-9 from the foul line. He added seven rebounds and three assists and was one of five players to score in double figures for NSU. Thanks in part to his effort, the Spartans shot 35-of-63 from the floor, a 55.6 percent clip.
 
The Spartans (2-1) finally surged ahead late in the first half, closing on a 14-2 run for a 20-point advantage at the break. Wade had 22 of his 34 points before the half. NSU then scored 13 of the first 16 points of the second half, completing a 27-5 run that lasted 12 minutes between the two halves.
 
Norfolk State hit 9-of-19 from 3-point range, thanks in part to junior Kyle Williams. He sank 5-of-8 from long range for a 15-point night.
 
Senior Carrington Ward shot 5-of-7 from the floor for 13 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior Bryan Gellineau tallied 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting with nine rebounds and two blocks, and sophomore Alex Long added 10 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
 
Wade's 34-point effort was the most by a Spartan player since Pendarvis Williams had 38 on Nov. 13, 2013 against Newberry.
 
The Spartans opened an early six-point lead to start the game before Elizabeth City State got to within one at the 13:21 mark. Wade nearly single-handily put the Spartans ahead by double digits, scoring 17 points within the first 11 and a half minutes of the contest. Still, NSU did not lead by double digits until a 3-pointer from Williams with 9:30 left.
 
A little later, a pair of Gellineau layups began an 11-0 run that pushed NSU's lead to 44-25 with a minute and a half left. Thanks to a late 3-pointer from junior Zaynah Robinson, the Spartans completed the 14-2 spurt and went into the half up by 20, 47-27.
 
The Spartans scored 10 of the game's 11 points out of the half as part of the 13-3 run to begin the second stanza. Layups by junior Alex Brown and Ward allowed the Spartans to double up the Vikings, 64-32, still with 11 and a half minutes left in the contest.
 
NSU led by at least 28 the rest of the way and pulled ahead by as much as 39 late in the game on a 3-point play by Ward.
 
NSU held the Vikings to a 17-of-58 clip from the floor (29.3 percent), including just 3-of-19 from 3-point range. But for the second game in a row against a non-Division I opponent, the Spartans had more than 10 less attempts at the free throw line.
 
Despite playing just seven minutes due to foul trouble, junior Dan Robinson had three blocks for the third time in three games this year.
 
Kyree Marshall led the Vikings with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds. The contest did not count toward ECSU's regular season record.
 
NSU outscored the Vikings 42-20 in points in the paint, 28-10 in points off turnovers and 20-4 in fastbreak points.
 
NSU will begin a 10-day trip at Vanderbilt on Friday at 8 p.m. EST.