O'Quinn Leads Spartans Over EKU, 70-63
NORFOLK, Va. - Kyle O'Quinn tallied 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots to power Norfolk State to its fourth win in its last five games, 70-63, on Sunday afternoon at Echols Hall.
It was the fifth straight double-double for O'Quinn, who scored 13 of his points in the second half. Pendarvis Williams added 11 points and Chris McEachin and Brandon Wheeless chipped in with nine points apiece for the Spartans (4-2), who are off to their best start after six games since the 1995-96 team began 5-1.
NSU shot 66 percent from the floor (23-of-35) and led the final 34 minutes, 36 seconds.
Joshua Jones led the Colonels (3-4) with 13 points.
NSU led the final 14:36 of the first half thanks to an efficient offense that produced 65 percent shooting and committed just six turnovers in the opening stanza. O'Quinn was a force at both ends of the floor, tallying 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks in the first 20 minutes.
The Spartans led by as many as 11 points in the half, 30-19, on a layup by A.J. Rogers with 6:52 remaining before halftime. But the Colonels, who missed 10 of their first 15 shots, hit six of their final 11 field goals in the half and drew as close as four on three occasions. The last came when Jaron Jones canned a jumper with just one second left before halftime to close the gap to 38-34.
Read complete story at NSUathletics.com.
Illinois State Ease past B-CU Wildcats
NORMAL, Ill. - Bethune-Cookman started the game with a hot shooting hand, but Illinois State got hotter and stayed that way as the Redbirds dispatched the Wildcats 75-51 Sunday at Redbirds Arena.
Jackie Carmichael's 21 points on 9-11 shooting and Jon Ekey (6-7) and Tyler Brown (4-4) each scored 14 for a Redbird team that finished the day shooting 64.3 from the field, including 10-17 from behind the arc.
Alex Smith, Stanley Elliott, Garrius Holloman and Kevin Dukes combined to hit B-CU's first four shots from the field and give the Wildcats an early 9-3 lead, but the visitors were 4-21 for the rest of the first half.
Adrien Coleman's free throw with 11:46 remaining gave B-CU (2-4) a 15-11 lead, but ISU (4-2) used an 11-0 run to take a 22-15 lead on a Carmichael free throw. ISU led 36-20 at halftime.
Read the complete story at BCUathletics.com
Pitt and Woods Tally Team-Highs in Loss to Portland State
LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Ishaq Pitt led a tough University of Maryland Eastern Shore offense in the first half and finished with a team-high 16 points, while teammate Percy Woods tallied 12 points for the Hawks. UMES had three players tally double figures. Given the tough play by the Hawks, UMES lost to Portland State 79-69 Sunday.
Pitt scored nine of 16 points in the first half. He made 5-of-6 (.833) from the free-throw line for the game, and was 5-of-8 (.625) from the field. Pitt scored his first three pointer of year to help UMES pull within a nine-point advantage held by Portland State.
Woods had a silent first half, but scored all 12 of his points in the second half. He also grabbed five rebounds for the Hawks in 35 minutes of play.
Tyler Hines was another productive Hawk Sunday. Hines had a season-high 11 points and the second most rebounds with six total. Although he fouled out of the game, Hines was 5-of-7 (.714) from the field in his 18 minutes of play.
As a team, the Hawks had one of its best days from the floor making 41.3 percent (26-of-63) of its shots. It also posted its highest point total in a half all season, scoring 48 points in the second half. Its total was three more than Portland State in the same period.
Read more at UMESHawks.com