WASHINGTON D.C. – The Norfolk State men's basketball team earned a share of the 2024-25 MEAC Regular Season Championship on Thursday night, taking down Howard 81-69 at Burr Gymnasium.
The Spartans (21-10, 11-3 MEAC) have now won five MEAC regular season titles in head coach
Robert Jones' tenure, continuing one of the strongest stretches the conference has ever seen. Norfolk State also secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament,
Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 21 points, while
Jalen Myers posted a 19-point, 10-rebound double double. Marcus Dockery led Howard (12-19, 7-7) with 23 points, knocking down five 3-pointers.
Norfolk State learned immediately from its previous losses, starting the game off with a undeniable intensity on Thursday.
Jaylani Darden scored the Spartans first two baskets, before Ings and Myers converted in the lane to give Norfolk State an early 8-2 lead.
The top 3-point shooting team in the MEAC, Howard made its way back into the game by connecting from deep.
Chris Fields Jr. checked into the game and quickly knocked down a pair of jumpers to get the Spartans back on track.
The Spartans went on a 6-0 run to force Howard to call timeout trailing 25-18. The Bison answered right back with an 8-0 swing of its own, taking their first lead of the night.
Moore steadied the Spartans from there, scoring the last six points of the half to send Norfolk State to the break with a 31-29 advantage.
Howard opened the second half with an emphatic 9-2 run to go back in front. The Spartans called a timeout to regroup after a pull-up jumper from the Bison, but a Harper basket soon after put Howard ahead by double figures, 45-35.
Darden halted the opposing momentum with a shot from midrange, before Moore added two more points on a steal-and-score play. Fields kept the momentum going with an and-one layup a minute later, pulling the Spartans within a point at 45-44.
Dockery tied the game 49-49 with a midrange jumper a soon after, giving him 20 points on the night. Ings used a mean behind-the-back crossover to set up a pull-up 3-pointer, but Howard responded with a triple on the other end.
With the Spartans holding a five-point lead in the final seven minutes of regulation, Norfolk State leaned on their go-to playmaker to close out the ballgame. Moore scored seven consecutive points for the Spartans, making plays at both ends, to push NSU ahead 66-54.
Howard couldn't come within striking distance from that point on, as the Spartans closed out their regular season-ending road victory.
Checking The Box Score
- Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 21 points on Thursday night
- Jalen Myers posted a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double
- Marcus Dockery led Howard with 23 points, making five 3-pointers
- Norfolk State outrebounded Howard 37-33
- Howard shot 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) from behind the arc, while NSU went 2-of-10 (20.0 percent)
- Norfolk State outscored Howard 46-24 in the paint
- Thursday's game featured six ties and six lead changes
News & Notes
- Norfolk State secured a share of 2024-25 MEAC Regular Season Championship with Monday's victory, the Spartans' second consecutive regular season title
- The Spartans also clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament
- The Spartans have now won five regular season championships in head coach Robert Jones' tenure
- With the No. 1 seed secured, Norfolk State, will open the MEAC Tournament on Wednesday, Mar. 12 at 6 p.m. against No. 8 seed Maryland Eastern Shore
- Norfolk State finished the regular season to 21-10 with the win, 11-3 in MEAC play
- Howard dropped to 12-19, 7-7 in the MEAC
- Norfolk State now leads the all-time series with Howard 54-15
- Norfolk State overcame a 10-point second half deficit on Thursday, the Spartans' second win this year featuring a double-digit comeback
UP NEXT
With the 2024-25 regular season in the books, Norfolk State now turns its attention to the MEAC Tournament. The Spartans will open the event as the No. 1 seed on Wednesday, Mar. 12 at 6 p.m. against No. 8 seed Maryland Eastern Shore.
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