O'Quinn's double-double sparks NSU's upset

NORFOLK

Norfolk State has become the enigma of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Behind a 23-point, 18-rebound effort from center Kyle O'Quinn, the Spartans beat defending MEAC champion Morgan State 69-63 Saturday night at Echols Hall.

The Bears (15-11, 10-4) had rolled into Echols Hall tied for first in the MEAC in the loss column with Bethune-Cookman. But for the second time this season, they walked off the court victims of O'Quinn and a Norfolk State team that's hard to figure.

Norfolk State had lost five of its previous six, but was far and away the best team on the court Saturday.

And O'Quinn was far and away the best player.

The 6-foot-10 junior filled up the stat sheet, going 10 for 15 from the field, blocking three shots and even notching four assists, two of them coming on behind-the-back passes in the lane that set up layups by teammates.

"We would have had issues if either of those passes hadn't found the mark," Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans said. "But they both were actually the right pass to make because he had his defender pinned to his high side on the baseline."

The Spartans led 41-31 early in the second half, but Morgan State went on a 15-1 run to take a 46-42 lead with nine minutes left.

Instead of folding, Norfolk State showed resilience.

On three successive trips down the court, O'Quinn kissed a short jumper off the glass, scored on a sky hook and set up Brandon Wheeless for a layup on his second behind-the-back pass of the night for a 48-46 lead.

Kevin Thompson, who led the Bears with 19 points, scored down low to tie it at the other end, but Norfolk State's Rob Hampton scored on back-to-back drives to the basket, and the Spartans led to the finish.

"I felt I had a mismatch out there," said Hampton, who finished with 15 points. "They were trying to guard me with a post player, and that wasn't going to work."

The Spartans improved to 9-18 overall and 7-7 in the MEAC and are tied with Florida A&M for sixth in the 11-team league standings. But there is a legitimate chance the Spartans could finish in fourth if they win their last two, meaning they could avoid the penalty of a first-round game. All teams finishing sixth or lower are subjected to first-round games.

The Spartans finished with a flourish with dunks by O'Quinn and Tim Zephyr, a 3-pointer by Aleek Pauline and a banked jumper by Chris McEachin, who finished with 11 points.

That offset a late run by Morgan State.

"I thought we had them," Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. "Obviously O'Quinn had a big game again, and we somewhat expect him to do that. But Hampton gave us problems."

Bozeman and the Bears walked out of the gym knowing their chances at a fourth consecutive regular-season title had slipped away.

"We need some help now," Bozeman said.

The Spartans, meanwhile, have to wonder with two games left in the regular season if they've got what it takes to get hot at the right time. They host Coppin State on Monday and North Carolina A&T on Thursday. Both teams are ahead of them in the standings.

"Up, down, up, down, up, down," O'Quinn said. "We know how we've played. But we can't play down from here out. We've got to be on the upside the rest of the way."