NORFOLK, Va. – Crosstown rivals Norfolk State and Old Dominion battled neck-and-neck for 40 minutes on Saturday afternoon at Chartway Arena, as ODU came away with a 68-62 victory.
 
Joe Bryant Jr. and Christian Ings powered the Spartan offense in the backcourt all night. Bryant finished the game with a team-high 17 points and six assists, while Ings scored 13 points and dished out a team-best seven assists.
 
Kris Bankston dominated in the first half with 12 points, making six of his seven shot attempts, but foul trouble kept him from making a significant impact in the second half. Cahiem Brown provided a much-needed boost off the bench, scoring 15 points and pulling down three rebounds.
 
Norfolk State quieted the home crowd early with an energetic 8-0 run to take a 19-10 lead. Bryant and Brown each knocked down 3-pointers, before Bankston rocked the rim with a two-handed slam, forcing ODU's first timeout of the game.
 
A 10-0 run from the Monarchs knotted the score at 23, but the Spartans held on for a one-point advantage at the half. Daryl Anderson gave the Spartans the lead again in the second half with an offensive putback, before two Bryant jumpers pushed NSU ahead by five.
 
With the Spartans holding a six-point lead in the final ten minutes, ODU's Chaunce Jenkins and Tyreek Scott-Grayson drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to get the home crowd on its feet. Bryant responded with a 3-pointer and layup on consecutive possessions, but the Monarchs continued to heat up from deep.
 
Three unanswered Monarch buckets gave them control in the last stretch, although the Spartans wouldn't give up without a fight. After knocking down a pair of free throws in the final minute, Brown hit his final 3-pointer to pull NSU within two. The Monarchs hit their free throws in the final seconds, though, vanquishing any chance of more late-game heroics.
 
The Spartans have a week to prepare for their next in-state matchup, a 4 p.m. showdown on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Willaim and Mary. The game will be televised on FloHoops and broadcast on WNSB 91.1 FM.