Spartans Fall Short Despite Furious Comeback
ST. THOMAS, V.I. - The Norfolk State men's basketball team hit a school record 14 3-pointers from just three players, but its furious comeback against DePaul on Monday afternoon came up short at the end in an 82-78 loss.
Down by two, NSU's last possession shot was blocked as the Spartans fell in their final game of the 2015 Paradise Jam at the Sports & Fitness Center on the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
NSU (1-4) nearly pulled the upset, overcoming a 14-point second half deficit when its 3-point shooting began to heat up. The Spartans hit 10 of their threes in the second half and finished the game 14-of-28 from long range.
The Spartans answered with a 12-2 run, scoring nine of those points within a 30-second span on threes from seniors D'Shon Taylor and Charles Oliver and then a 3-point play by senior Jeff Short. Then on NSU's next three possessions, Taylor drained a 3-pointer and Short followed with two more of his own to tie the game at 66-66.
DePaul scored eight of the next 11 points in the game, but sophomore Zaynah Robinson hit a pair of free throws and Oliver's 3-pointer in transition tied it up again at 74-74.
A pair of buckets by the Blue Demons put them back ahead by three with a minute left. After Robinson's jumper with 19.0 seconds left cut the deficit to one, NSU's last possession attempt down by two with time running down was blocked.
DePaul (2-3) iced the win with two free throws at the end.
Taylor finished the game with game highs of 23 points and nine rebounds to go along with a career-high five assists. He sank 7-of-12 overall and 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
NSU will get several days off before heading across the country to Northern Arizona for a matchup next Monday.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com
Mountaineers handle Wildcats 97-44
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Bethune-Cookman’s first venture into Top 25 territory in four years ended with a 97-44 loss to No. 22 West Virginia Monday night.
Daxter Miles Jr. scored 14 points to lead seven Mountaineers (4-0) in double-figures as they held the Wildcats (2-2) to season lows in scoring and shooting (25 percent). Three Mountaineers double-doubled, including Devin Williams, who posted his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Josue Salaam led Bethune-Cookman with 12 points.
Mario Moody and Lewis each scored seven points for B-CU, while Potts and Randy Holmes each had six points and six rebounds.
B-CU continues the Continental Tires Las Vegas Invitational with a Thanksgiving evening showdown against Volusia County rival Stetson at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Tipoff is 9 p.m. EST
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com
Daniel Scores 30 in Howard Win over Texas Southern
Las Vegas, NV---James Daniel poured in a game-high 30 points, but it was the contributions of some unusual suspects that proved to be the difference as Howard University defeated Texas Southern University 87-81 in the Men Who Speak Up tournament at the MGM Grand.
With the victory, the Bison advance to the championship round of the Middleweight Division against the University of Central Arkansas on Wednesday at 6 pm.
Daniel, the nation’s leading scorer coming into the game at 28.7 per game, did his usual, tallying 18 of his points in the first half to give his team a 47-42 advantage at the half. His backcourt mate, James “JT” Miller, who was averaging 20 points per game, got into early foul trouble and was never a factor as he fouled out with 5 points.
Damon Collins picked up the slack, tallying nine of his career-high 17 points in the first 20 minutes while Marcel Boyd chipped in with 8 of his 10 points as Howard led by as many as 13 before the Tigers (0-4) would make a run to narrow the gap at the intermission.
The Bison would close out the win as Daniel converted on 5 of 6 free throws and Boyd scored on a tip-in off an inbounds play with a second left on the shot clock.
For complete story, visit www.hubison.com