NORFOLK, Va. — Jordan Skyers scored 22 points with six steals and Bahsil Laster added 20 points and seven assists as the Norfolk State University men's basketball team beat Randolph 78-71 on Wednesday night at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall.
The Spartans (2-0) took a 35-34 lead into halftime after a first half with nine lead changes and seven ties. Norfolk State led the entire second half. NSU opened the half with six straight points, then used a 10-0 run midway through the half to pull away. The Spartans scored 27 fast-break points and turned 15 Randolph turnovers into 21 points.
Skyers went 9-of-17 from the field, made two 3-pointers and added three rebounds and a block. Laster went 6-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 at the free-throw line. He added three rebounds and two blocks, and four of his seven assists went to Chris Walker. Walker scored 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He scored 15 of his points in the second half. Off the bench, Keon Mitchell scored seven points, and Dramane Camara and Jamese Jordan each grabbed five rebounds. Jordan also had two blocks and two steals. J.C. Riley Jr. pulled down six rebounds in 12 minutes.
How It Happened
- Randolph's Khalil Caple opened the scoring with a 3-pointer. Skyers put NSU ahead for the first time with two free throws at 16:56. Laster followed with a fast-break layup and then a steal and dunk. A Skyers 3-pointer and two Walker free throws made it 15-7 at the 15:24 mark.
- The WildCats answered with a 9-0 run, and Say'Quon Welsh's steal and layup gave them a 16-15 lead at 11:38. Skyers responded with a 3-pointer and a fast-break layup off his own steal. The teams traded the lead the rest of the half.
- Stacy Byrd's three-point play put Randolph ahead 34-33 with 58 seconds left. Laster made two free throws at the 39-second mark to send NSU into the break up 35-34. Laster scored 12 first-half points and went 8-of-10 at the line before halftime.
- Skyers opened the second half with a layup. He then came up with a steal that led to Walker's dunk off a Laster assist, and Walker followed with a fast-break dunk, also from Laster, for a 41-34 lead. Skyers' fast-break dunk at 17:06 pushed the lead to 45-36.
- Randolph scored nine of the next 13 points, and Aveion Tucker's 3-pointer at 11:54 cut the margin to 50-48. Norfolk State then scored 10 straight points. Mitchell hit a 3-pointer, Jordan's steal set up a Laster dunk, Walker made a 3-pointer and Ahmad Torrence's steal led to a Walker fast-break layup for a 60-48 lead at 9:40.
- The WildCats got within 60-53, but Skyers scored on a steal and dunk and a layup to restore the double-digit lead. Late in the game, Skyers made back-to-back steals that set up a Laster dunk and a Laster layup. That made it 75-60 at 3:32, the Spartans' largest lead. Walker's third 3-pointer of the half at 2:25 gave NSU its final points.
Inside the Numbers
- Norfolk State outscored Randolph 27-10 in fast-break points and 40-30 in the paint. The Spartans scored 21 points off turnovers to Randolph's 14.
- NSU had 12 steals and eight blocks. Skyers' six steals led all players.
- The Spartans shot 42.9 percent from the field and 81.0 percent at the free-throw line (17-of-21). Randolph shot 34.8 percent from the field and 6-of-26 from 3-point range.
- Randolph outrebounded NSU 46-40 and held a 17-10 edge in second-chance points.
- Caple led the WildCats with 21 points, going 9-of-10 at the line, and added seven rebounds and three steals. Chase James posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Welsh scored 11 points with three 3-pointers, and Elijah Cox added 10.
Coach's Comments
"Today, I give us about a C," said head coach Robert Jones. "We didn't play the greatest, but we played good enough to win. With that limited roster, it's a quick turnaround, and there are some people logging a lot of minutes."
On Skyers, Laster and Walker: "They were our big three today. Walker wasn't part of that the other night, so it's good to see him. With this team, you're going to see different people become part of the big three for that night, or hopefully we get to four. Today he was part of the big three, like the other night J.C. was. Who knows who it's going to be on Sunday? I do think we've got some guys that can score, but we needed those three tonight."
"I think we still don't understand the mental aspect of the game, that in these games, we're the hunted. Being the hunted is something totally different. People are going to give you their best shots. People are going to play out of their minds a little bit because they're so excited to play against you."
On the road ahead: "We've got to make some more shots from the perimeter. In the preseason, we were making 12 threes a game against similar competition. Justin and Dramane were our two hot men. Justin, with his first two games of college basketball, is getting adjusted, no matter if he played well in the preseason or not. Dramane, with a year off, is getting readjusted. Both of those guys put in a lot of work, and usually when you put in work, the work will show. We need it to show, because we need that three-point shot. The three-point shot is the ultimate weapon in college basketball."
"Guys like Keon and Justin are basically local guys. There are a lot of expectations for those guys from people in the area, and I think they're putting too much pressure on themselves. Hopefully game by game, the pressure will be relieved. Sometimes that happens by playing on the road. That might sound crazy to the average fan, but sometimes you need to go play on the road and get away from home to play better."
"Jahki Gupton might be back very shortly, which will help for William & Mary. The pace is so fast, we probably need all 13 bodies. But as guys come back, it's going to be another reconfiguration of the team. Some guys' minutes are going to go down, because the guys who are out are formidable players, so they've got to play. For the first 10 games, we're going to be a work in progress. We just hope to come out on the better half of things."
Up Next
Norfolk State travels to William & Mary on Sunday, Nov. 8. Tip-off in Williamsburg, Va., is set for 6 p.m.
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X/Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.
