NORFOLK, Va. – Jalen Hawkins and Joe Bryant Jr. each had a game-high 19 points to lead top-seeded Norfolk State men's basketball over No. 3 seed Morgan State Friday night at Norfolk Scope to advance to the MEAC Championship game on Saturday afternoon. It marks the second straight year the Spartans make an appearance in the MEAC final after defeating Morgan State a year ago.

A low-scoring first half saw the Spartans take the lead with the first points on a dunk by Kris Bankston. NSU led by as many as seven in the first half with 7:56 on the clock, 18-11. But a 10-1 run by the Bears gave MSU their first lead of the contest with 4:58 remaining in the half.

Both teams would then go back and forth for the rest of the half. The Spartans led by three with less than a minute left, but a jumper beyond the arc by MSU's Malik Miller with less than six seconds left tied the game heading into the intermission.

NSU came out of the locker room and started the period on a 5-0 run capped by a jumper in the paint by Dana Tate Jr. at 17:04. Leading by as many as nine with 15:27 left, the Spartans never trailed in the second half. The Bears pulled even at 49-49 with 9:44 left before NSU went on a 10-2 run with the Spartan lead never falling to less than six the remainder of the game. The largest lead for NSU was at 68-54 on a fast break layup by Bryant.

After shooting 43.3% in the first half, the Spartans picked it up shooting 61.9% in the second to pull away. NSU led the Bears at the free throw line making 17-21 while MSU was just 9-16.

In addition to Hawkins' and Bryant's 19 points, both Bankston and Tate each scored 14. Tate finished with his first double-double of the season with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Miller and Isaiah Burke scored 14 apiece for the Bears (13-14).

The Spartans (23-6) take on No. 7 seed Coppin State in the MEAC Championship game on Saturday after the Eagles beat No. 3 seed N.C. Central in the other semifinal, 79-73.
CSU had beaten Howard in the quarterfinals 59-57 on a buzzer-beater.