NSU Offense Finds Life in 85-79 Win over St. Francis

NORFOLK, Va. - In a contest that saw 17 lead changes, the Norfolk State men's basketball team erased an 11-point deficit and got key stops over a 10-minute stretch in the second half in an 85-79 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday night in NSU's home opener at Joseph Echols Hall.

The Spartans shot 69 percent in the second half and had all five starters in double figures to snap a four-game losing streak. The teams combined for 91 points in the second stanza.

With starting guard Pendarvis Williams out as a precaution due to injury, NSU (3-5) got a huge game from point guard Jamel Fuentes. The junior tallied a career-high 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting with 10 assists, six rebounds and two steals.

Neither team had more than a six-point lead in the first half, but a 16-5 run for St. Francis (2-3) early in the second half stretched the Terriers' lead to 11. NSU countered with a 10-2 run that eventually turned into a 28-9 stretch that lasted nearly 10 minutes.

St. Francis shot just 4-of-12 during that time and committed six turnovers to help put the Spartans up by eight, 78-70, with 2:52 to go. The Terriers twice cut the Spartan lead to four before NSU held on for the victory.

Rob Johnson nearly equaled his career high with 18 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Brandon Goode added 13 points and five boards, while Kris Brown (12 points) and Malcolm Hawkins (10 points) joined them in double figures.

Jalen Cannon led St. Francis with 16 points and nine rebounds. Akeem Johnson and Ben Mockford added 15 and 13, respectively.

For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com.

Bears Pull Away From Liberty, 67-62

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Morgan State snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Big South opponent Liberty 67-62 on Thursday night at the Vines Center before a crowd of 2,233.

Anthony Hubbard had 16 points and Ian Chiles added 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting for Morgan State.

Liberty (0-7) opened the second half with a pair of three-pointers and outscored the Bears 11-2 to build its largest lead of the night at 44-37.

Morgan State turned it around quickly, answering with a 9-1 run. An Ian Chiles dunk over Tomasz Gielo coupled with a bank shot by Blake Bozeman helped the Bears re-establish the lead at 46-44.

The ballgame was tied at 49 apiece before Casey Roberts hit a three-pointer with 7:23 left to give Liberty a 52-51 edge. From that point forward the Flames struggled against the Bears defensive pressure and went just over 7 minutes without scoring a basket.

Down the stretch the Bears size was just too much for Liberty. The Bears used a 12-1 run, including fast break dunks by Jackson and Hubbard that gave the Bears a 61-53 cushion with just under 2 minutes remaining. The Bears withstood a late push by the Flames and closed out the game from the free throw line.

Roberts paced Liberty with 15 points, while Davon Marshall and Tavares Speaks chipped in 12 and 11 points respectively.

For the complete story, visit www.morganstatebears.com.