Jason Flagler led South Carolina State with 21 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as the Bulldogs snapped a five-game win streak for the Norfolk State Spartans with a 97-86 win Saturday at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. The game was broadcast live on ESPN Classic.

The loss drops NSU (14-11, 10-3 MEAC) to second place in the conference with three MEAC games remaining.

The Bulldogs (10-17, 6-7) shot 55 percent from the floor, 63 in the second half, and scored the most points by an NSU opponent this season. SCSU, which trailed 47-42 at the half, scored 20 points off 16 NSU turnovers.

Tony Murphy and Corey Lyons scored 23 points apiece for the Spartans. Both shot 9-of-20 from the floor, and Lyons matched his career high with nine rebounds. Michael Deloach added 18 points.

Neither team led by more than five points in a well-played first half. The Spartans, who had just four of their 16 turnovers in the opening stanza, got 19 points from Murphy and shot 51 percent to take a five-point advantage, 47-42, into the break.

But five different Bulldogs scored during a 13-0 run early in the second half that gave SCSU control. SCSU made six of its eight field goals in the spurt, which turned a five-point Spartans’ lead into an eight-point SCSU edge, at 60-52. The Bulldogs led by at least five the rest of the way.

Flagler scored 15 of his points after halftime. Everett Spencer added 12 of his 16 points after the intermission.

Jessie Burton poured in 20 points and made four of SCSU’s nine 3-point field goals. Julius Carter added 14 points and Jason Johnson 10 for the Bulldogs.