STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Norfolk State men's basketball team lost an offensive shootout on Wednesday at Stony Brook, an 84-78 result.
 
Jamarii Thomas continued his exceptional stretch, leading the Spartans (7-4) with 28 points on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting day. The junior guard knocked down five of his six 3-point attempts.
 
Allen Betrand scored in double-figures for the sixth consecutive game, tallying 13 points off the bench.  
 
The Seawolves wasted no time finding a groove offensively, as Tyler Stephenson-Moore knocked down a 3-pointer within 15 seconds of the opening tip. He converted again on the team's next trip down the floor, pushing Stony Brook to a 5-0 lead with a second chance layup.
 
Kuluel Mading got the Spartans on the board, capitalizing in the pain after a Stony Brook turnover. Thomas got his efficient first half started with a stepback 3-pointer, knotting the contest 5-5.
 
Jaylani Darden made one from behind the arc to give Norfolk State its first lead of the evening, before back-to-back Thomas baskets expanded the Spartans' cushion. Thomas knocked down another 3-pointer a couple of minutes later, pushing NSU ahead 17-11.
 
Betrand, who scored nine points in the first half on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting clip, knocked down his second jumper of the day to keep the Spartans moving quickly. He'd hit another after a brief scoring draught from both teams, keeping Norfolk State in control.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Daryl Anderson and Betrand gave NSU its first double-digit advantage of the night, but Jared Frey responded with a three for the Seawolves. Anderson drained another shot from behind the arc shortly after, stealing the momentum right back.
 
Tyrel Bladen got the Spartan bench on its feet with a putback dunk, but Stony Brook responded with a 9-1 run that pulled the Seawolves within one. A slew of free throws gave Norfolk State some breathing room, before Stony Brook's Leon Nahar knocked down a deep 3-pointer in the final moments of the first half, trimming the halftime lead to four.
 
Norfolk State's 39 points in the opening period tied the team's highest scoring half away from Echols Hall this season.
 
After a quiet start to the game, Christian Ings began to take over in the second half, showing why he received Preseason All-MEAC First Team honors. The graduate guard made his first four shot attempts, scoring all 11 of his points in the second half.
 
Scoring Norfolk State's first two baskets of the second half, Ings helped the Spartans hold off an early Seawolves run. Thomas sank his third 3-pointer of the night, but Stephenson-Moore answered right back with a long ball on the other end.
 
Getting his first action of the 2023-24 season, Jack Doumbia forced a turnover, slamming it down on the other end to complete the steal-and-score. The play pushed Norfolk State's lead to 48-43.
 
An and-one finish by Nyzaiah Chambers gave NSU a six-point advantage later in the half, but Stony Brook stole the momentum from there. After several scores pulled the Seawolves close, Stephenson-Moore drained another 3-pointer to tie the ballgame, before a putback dunk gave Stoney Brook its first lead since the first half.
 
The teams traded blows for the next few minutes, but back-to-back 3-pointers gave Stoney Brook a crucial seven-point lead with under three minutes to play. Tyrese Jenkins knocked down a triple to respond, but the Spartans were unable to overcome the deficit in the final stretch.
 
Checking The Box Score

• Jamarii Thomas led the Spartans with 28 points on 9-of-11 shooting, knocking down five of his six 3-point attempts
• Allen Betrand scored in double-figures for the sixth consecutive game, tallying 13 points
• Christian Ings scored all 11 of points in the second half, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor, adding a team-high five assists as well
• Norfolk State shot 27-of-54 (50.0 percent) from the floor and 10-of-24 (41.7 percent) from behind the arc
• Stony Brook shot 26-of-51 from the floor and 11-of-27 (40.7 percent) from behind the arc
• Norfolk State's bench outscored Stony Brook's 27-10
• There were four ties and four lead changes in the contest

News & Notes

• Norfolk State dropped to 7-4 with the loss
• Stony Brook improved to 5-5 with the victory
• The Seawolves snapped Norfolk State's three-game winning streak with their own third consecutive win
• Stony Brook now leads the all-time series 4-1
• Norfolk State's 39 first-half points tied its highest scoring half away from Echols Hall this season
• The 162 combined points in Wednesday's contest were the most in a Norfolk State game since an 88-76 win over South Carolina State last season

UP NEXT
 
NSU now moves on to the second matchup of its New York trip, facing Hofstra, on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m.
 
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