Box Score Postgame Press Conference

NORFOLK, Va. – Down by more than 20 in the second half, every 3-pointer, every free throw, every charge got Norfolk State closer and closer to the improbable against South Carolina State.
 
But in the end, one of the biggest, and most important, comebacks in program history fell just one jumper short.
 
On Friday evening in the MEAC tournament semifinal round at Scope Arena, the Spartans ignited a pro-NSU crowd, erased a 21-point deficit and nearly pulled off the unlikely before falling 67-65 to the Bulldogs.
 
The No. 2 seed Spartans outscored South Carolina State 25-8 in the last 12 minutes of the game, finally taking the lead with 22.4 seconds left when junior Brian Kelley took a pass off a defensive rebound and went down the court for the quick transition layup.
 
After committing three charges during their long scoring drought, South Carolina State finally got the Spartans on defense, as Ed Stephens was fouled with 15.8 seconds to go. He sank both from the line for a 66-65 lead. The Spartans then called their second-to-last time with 11.0 to go to draw up one last play.
 
Senior Jeff Short caught a pass near the right wing, dribbled through two defenders and put up a shot from 15 feet out near the right elbow with three seconds to go. The shot fell just off the back iron, and the Bulldogs added one more free throw with 0.7 seconds left before denying NSU a possible half-court heave.
 
The loss dropped NSU to 17-16 for the season. No. 3 seed S.C. State (19-13) advanced to Saturday's MEAC Championship game against No. 1 seed Hampton at 1 p.m. Norfolk State competed in the semifinals for the third straight year.
 
The Bulldogs shot 55 percent in the first half to build a 14-point lead at the break, finishing with a 10-0 run.
 
Then in the second half, Gabriel McCray had seven points early on as S.C. State eventually stretched the lead to 21 with 13:46 left. After Stephens made a 3-pointer from the right corner for a 59-40 advantage, the Spartans awoke the NSU crowd with a potential season-defying run.
 
The Bulldogs went nearly seven minutes without scoring during a 13-0 Spartan spurt. NSU drew momentum from the defensive end, drawing three charges within three and a half minutes to deny the Bulldogs offensive chances.
 
Greg Mortimer finally ended the long drought with a trey from the top of the key before NSU senior Charles Oliver answered on the other end with a 3 from the same location with five minutes left.
 
Down by a 64-56 margin with 4:33 on the clock after two S.C. State free throws, NSU got a pair of buckets from Butler to start a final 9-0 run. His dunk off a pass from senior D'Shon Taylor made it 64-60, and NSU forced a shot clock violation on the other end. Butler then sank two from the line at the 1:41 mark before Taylor made 1-of-2 with 57.5 seconds left.
 
S.C. State's second-to-last possession saw Butler rise high over a teammate for a huge block on McCray with 49.2 seconds on the clock, which eventually led to another Bulldog miss and Kelley's fastbreak layup.
 
McCray led S.C. State with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Mortimer added 14. Each scored 10 points in the first half along with Eric Eaves, helping S.C. State outscore NSU 45-31 in the first stanza.
 
The Spartans held the Bulldogs to 35 percent shooting in the second half (7-of-20) and outscored them 34-22 after the intermission.
 
NSU was led by Taylor with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists and Butler, who tallied 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting with five boards and two blocks.
 
Short answered 3's by McCray and Eaves with two of his own at the start of the game. S.C. State went up by four, 15-11, following Darryl Palmer's 3-point play at 14:40. Oliver and junior Jonathan Wade drained 3-pointers a minute apart to keep the Spartans close before McCray's second trey and two free throws by Mortimer pushed the lead to 33-25 with less than eight minutes in the half.
 
Up 35-31 a few minutes later, S.C. State closed the half on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a four-point play by Mortimer, for the 14-point lead at the break. McCray closed the run with a turnaround jumper right before the buzzer following an offensive rebound, part of an overall 16-of-29 team effort from the floor before the break (55.2 percent).
 
The Spartans came into the game averaging 32.6 points in the paint the last 10 games but were outscored 16-4 in the first half. S.C. State finished with a 22-20 margin for the game.
 
Wade added 12 points, five boards and two assists off the bench, while Short posted 10 points and a game-high four assists. NSU shot 20-of-51 from the floor (39.2 percent), including nearly 44 percent from 3-point range (7-of-16).
 
The Bulldogs finished the game 23-of-49 overall (46.9 percent), including 7-of-17 from 3-point range.
 
The Spartans also hit 18-of-21 from the free throw line (85.7 percent) and committed just seven turnovers.
 
NSU will find out if it will get a postseason tournament bid at a later date.