DOVER, Del. – Joe Bryant Jr. scored 19 of his 20 points in the second half on Monday, putting away the opposing Delaware State Hornets in the final stretch as NSU earned a 78-65 road victory.
 
The veteran Bryant may have provided the spark in the game's final 20 minutes, but a rookie kept NSU in front throughout the first half. Playing just the second MEAC contest of his young career, freshman George Beale Jr. scored a career high 19 points on Monday, making 5-of-6 attempts from behind the arc.
 
Norfolk State (12-5, 2-0 MEAC) nailed 11 3-pointers against the Hornets, the fifth time this season the Spartans have made 10 or more shots from behind the arc. The Spartans also went 23-of-26 from the free throw line (88.5 percent), knocking down 20 in the second half to close out the game.
 
Bryant scored his lone point in the first half before a single second ticked off the clock, knocking down a technical free throw. Daryl Anderson got the Spartans going from there, scoring the team's next eight points with a tip-in and two 3-pointers.
 
Delaware State freshman Jevin Muniz awakened Memorial Hall with three 3-pointers in a span of one minute and 50 seconds, giving the Hornets a five-point lead. He would finish with a career high 22 points, hitting five shots from behind the arc.
 
Two Dana Tate Jr. baskets pulled NSU within one, before Beale made his impact felt shortly after checking into the game. The Suffolk, Va. native hit back-to-back 3-pointers, knocking down a third just a few minutes later.
 
A fourth long ball from Beale gave him the Spartans' last 12 points, and he'd add a mid-range jump shot before halftime for his 13 and 14^th points of the first half. NSU headed into the break with a 36-29 lead.
 
Bryant hit the first of three second half 3-pointers on the Spartans' opening possession, before Nyzaiah Chambers added a difficult second-chance layup. NSU found itself back in the drivers seat with a 15-point lead, but the Hornets began to claw back inch by inch.
 
A 6-0 DSU run cut the Spartans' cushion to seven, and the Hornets came within five a few minutes later. Bryant knocked down a 3-pointer to quiet the crowd, picking off an errant pass on the next possession and scoring with a foul on the ensuing fastbreak.
 
Beale tacked on another 3-pointer, before Kris Bankston soared through the air for a two handed reverse slam in the final five minutes. The Spartans continued to sink free throws in the final minutes, resisting any chance of a Hornets' comeback.
 
Norfolk State returns to Echols Hall on Saturday for a matchup with the Howard Bison (8-10, 1-1). The game will be live streamed on HBCU League Pass+ and broadcast on 91.1 FM.