Mike Deloach hit a running 10-footer in the lane as time expired to give Norfolk State its fourth straight win, 71-69, in against Morgan State in a nationally televised game on ESPNU Monday night at Echols Hall.

In a battle of unbeatens, the Spartans took a 63-53 lead with 6:06 remaining following the Tony Murphy’s lone 3-pointer of the night. But Reggie Holmes hit two clutch 3-pointers to help the Bears slice into the lead. The second shot brought MSU to within two, 69-67, with 1:31 left. NSU missed two shots at the other end, and the Bear’s Boubacar Coly, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, was fouled after pulling down an offensive rebound.

After Coly made both free throws with nine seconds left, the Spartans advanced the ball past halfcourt and called timeout. Murphy took the inbounds pass and hit a cutting Deloach in the lane. Deloach’s floater bounced off the rim and fell through at the buzzer to the delight of the crowd of 2,207 fans.

NSU played one of its finest defensive games of the season, blocking a season-high eight shots and recording nine steals. The Bears shot just 33-percent from the floor (21-of-64), the lowest by an NSU opponent this season. Morgan connected on just 25 percent of its shots in the first half and trailed 36-29 at the break. Corey Lyons scored 16 of his 20 points in the first stanza to lead the Spartans.

It was the Bears who clamped down on defense in the second half. They held NSU without a field goal for the first 4:11 of the second half, and took their first lead of the second period on two Jamar Smith foul shots with 13:54 left. There were three ties in the next four minutes, but NSU broke free with a 16-6 run, fueled by nine points by Murphy.

Murphy, who missed eight of his first nine shots, rebounded by hitting five of his next season to finish with a team-high 21 points. He was 8-of-9 from the foul line, and Lyons was 5-of-5.

Deloach finished with 12 points and a career-high seven assists, and Joseph Dorsett-Jeffreys scored a career-high eight points. Larry Vickers had 10 rebounds and tied his career-high with six blocks.

Coly pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds for the Bears, and Marquise Kately added 12 points.