Jones Postgame Interview

NORFOLK, Va. – Five players scored in double figures, and the Norfolk State men's basketball team stuffed the stat sheet in a 97-57 win over Regent University on Tuesday night at Joseph Echols Hall.
 
The Spartans shot nearly 52 percent overall and held the Royals to just 28 percent from the floor in cruising to the win. Senior Alex Long added 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting with six rebounds, two blocks and two steals to lead the way.
 
He was joined by senior Derrik Jamerson Jr. and sophomore Kyonze Chavis, who each finished with 14 points. Chavis also tallied eight assists and two blocks while shooting 5-of-7. Jamerson grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds with two steals, knocking down 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
 
Thanks in part to Jamerson, the Spartans outrebounded the Royals 56-39 while improving their record to 3-4. An 18-3 advantage in second-chance points came NSU's way as well.
 
The Spartans led by 17 at the break and made nearly 56 percent in the second half. But a big 18-0 run early in the first half set the tone. Jamerson and Chavis each had a pair of buckets during that time.
 
It took more than five minutes to complete that run, which ended with the Spartans up 22-8 at the 11:10 mark. Then after the Royals scored six of the game's next eight points, the Spartans got a pair of layups from freshman C.J. Kelly to eventually go up 36-17 with 3:27 left in the first half.
 
The Spartans led by as much as 20 in the first stanza before going into the locker room up 43-26. Kelly was also one of those five double-figure scorers, adding 10 points (4-of-7 shooting) with five rebounds and four blocks for the night.
 
Junior Steven Whitley also scored 10 points, including seven of those early on in the second half to help push the Spartan advantage to 25 and beyond. Norfolk State scored 16 in a row at one point for a 65-31 lead seven minutes into the second period.
 
Senior Jordan Butler's dunk with 12:05 left made it a 37-point ballgame. The Royals started an 11-2 run after that, but the Spartans scored 12 points in a row late in the contest to cruise to the final margin.
 
Butler had three blocks as NSU finished with 13 for the game, tied for the second most in school history. The Spartans held big advantages in points in the paint (48-20) and fastbreak points (21-6).
 
For the game, NSU made 35-of-68 (51.5 percent), compared to 20-of-71 for Regent (28.2 percent).
 
Kristopher Warren (14 points, nine rebounds) and Markell Riggins (12 points, four assists) led the Royals in the scoring column.
 
The Spartans stay home for their next two games after Thanksgiving, beginning next Tuesday against Stony Brook at 7 p.m. at Echols Hall.