Tony Murphy poured in 22 of his game-high 29 points in the second half to help Norfolk State pull away to a 69-61 win over Florida A&M in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men’s tournament at the RBC Center. The Spartans (16-14), the Number 3 seed, advance to Friday’s semifinal match against Number 7 seed Coppin State at 8 p.m.
The game was an evenly contested match throughout, with 10 ties and eight lead changes. The lead went back and forth in the first 20 minutes and the Spartans were able to manage a 31-28 halftime lead as Murphy and reserves Kevin Worsley and Joseph Dorsett each had seven while Lamar Twitty (9) and Leslie Robinson for 16 of the Spartans’ points.
The second half proved to be even more of a tug-of-war with ties or lead changes on every other possession. It came down to which team could get enough of a cushion down the stretch. The Spartans were able to accomplish that in the last five minutes. After FAMU’s Akini Akini tied the score at 55 on a tip-in at the 4:48 mark, Norfolk State went on a 6-0 mini run that shifted the momentum.
“It was a good outing by the team,” said Norfolk State first year head coach Anthony Evans. “I thought that Tony was a little stagnant in the first half and he stepped up in the second half and performed well.”
He continued, “We had a better defensive effort in the second half. We needed to be solid and gets some stops. It paid off for us down the stretch.”
Florida A&M, the defending tournament champions, were also playing under a first year coach. Eugene Harris inherited some veterans who were a part of last year’s team and their leadership kept the Rattlers in the game.
“The turning point of the game was when we were making a run and our inside player received a technical foul that allowed them free throws,” said Harris. “It turned from four to six points and we were never able to recover. But give Norfolk State credit. Tony Murphy is a great guard.” Murphy is a first team All-MEAC selection.
The Spartans also got seven points and nine rebounds from Vickers and nine from both Worsley and Corey Lyons.
Florida A&M was led by Twitty with 19 and Robinson with 18, 11 coming in the second half.
“We talked about winning it (the tournament) again on the way down,” said Robinson. “We believed that the win streak we had coming into the tournament would be the difference. But you have to give Norfolk State credit. They made the plays when they had to.”