NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina Central used a big advantage at the 3-point line to take care of the Norfolk State men's basketball team by a score of 72-57 on Saturday night in a MEAC matchup at Joseph Echols Hall.
The Eagles made 11-of-25 from 3-point range – 7-of-17 in the second half – while holding the Spartans to just three made treys for the entire evening. All three came off the hands of senior
Kerwin Okoro, who tallied a career-high 21 points on 9-of-16 overall shooting.
Senior
Jonathan Wade posted 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting. No other player had more than six for the Spartans, who got all but two of their points from the starting five. In the end, NSU fell to 4-13 overall and 1-2 in league play.
NCCU improved to 11-6 overall and 2-1 in the conference. Three players scored in double figures, led by Patrick Cole with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds. Rashaun Madison had 18 points, all on 6-of-12 from 3-point range, while Dajuan Graf tallied 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
The Eagles held the Spartans to just 3-of-16 from 3-point range and also held big advantages in points off turnovers (21-6) and fastbreak points (18-10). NSU, on the other hand, outscored NCCU 30-22 in points in the paint.
NSU was slow to get its offense going, as the Eagles jumped out to a 12-6 lead after the first eight and a half minutes of play. Wade scored the next 10 points for the Spartans to keep the game close at first. After his second-to-last bucket of that run, the Eagles used an 11-2 spurt to jump ahead by double digits, 26-14, with four and a half minutes remaining.
Okoro had a couple of buckets and then a 3-pointer from the left corner, and sophomore
Alex Long drained a jumper from beyond the foul line to cut the deficit to four. Graf, however, nailed a jumper with a second left on the clock to send the Eagles into the locker room up 33-27.
The Spartans got to within four early in the second half on Okoro's drive to the hoop, but the Eagles scored the next nine points of the game to take a 46-33 lead with 12 and a half minutes to go. Wade scored the next six for the Spartans, but Madison and Pablo Rivas each hit 3-pointers to keep the Eagle lead in double digits.
NSU sliced the Eagle lead to 10 with 5:16 to go, but Madison answered with a couple of 3-pointers and the Spartans got no closer as time ticked down.
NSU shot 25-of-55 for the game, almost identical to NCCU's 26-of-54 effort. Both teams shot 50 percent in the first half but less than 44 percent in the second.
The Eagles also had 14 more attempts at the free throw line but could only convert 9-of-21 for the game. NSU went 4-of-7 from the foul line, all in the second half.
NSU hits the road to play at Delaware State on Monday night.
