Norfolk State serves notice in dominating win

NORFOLK

With the Norfolk State Spartans reaching the halfway point of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season play Saturday, a wonderful chance to make a statement emerged: Preseason favorite Morgan State rolled into Echols Hall.

The Spartans sent a strong and deliberate message, dismissing the Bears 76-59 in a game that was never close. And they did it in front of a season-high home crowd of 4,074.

While Norfolk State took care of business at hand, there was a bonus. Four states away, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats lost, falling 68-62 at Florida A&M.

"For real? Bethune-Cookman lost?" asked forward Marcos Tamares in the guts of Echols Hall afterward. "How about that? Everything's clicking for us right now and we feel it. We know we have a chance to do something special this season, and because of that everybody's buying in."

That combination of a Norfolk State victory and Bethune-Cookman loss gave the Spartans (16-6, 8-0) their first two-game lead in the conference race.

The victory was Norfolk State's ninth in 10 games. The Spartans return to play Monday night when they host Coppin State. And when they do, they'll be shooting for a 17th victory, something that has eluded them in their 15 years as a Division I program.

As for Saturday's game, Kyle O'Quinn led the Spartans with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Pendarvis Williams chipped in with 14 points. It was O'Quinn's 14th double-double this season.

This game, however, wasn't won with offense.

The Spartans put a defensive lockdown on the Bears early with a full-court, trapping defense that took Morgan State completely out of its rhythm. The Bears (5-13, 3-4) shot just 23.3 percent from the field in the first half and trailed 36-13 at one point.

Norfolk State went to the locker room with a 41-22 edge and a load of confidence.

"We know the perks of playing good defense - quick buckets and easy buckets at the other end," said O'Quinn, Norfolk State's 6-foot-10 senior center. "Plus, when we play good defense, the coaches don't have any reason to sit us down and holler at us on the bench."

Head coach Anthony Evans had little reason to complain when he surveyed the final stat sheet: Norfolk State held Morgan State to 31.1 percent shooting from the field and outrebounded the Bears 47-36.

"This team is starting to live up to my expectations," Evans said. "I've had some offensive-minded teams in the last few years, but I want to be known as a coach whose teams really play tough defense."

Only one Bear, senior forward Kevin Thompson, finished in double figures as he scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Unlike their game two weeks ago - which Norfolk State won in double-overtime 90-89 - Bears small forward DeWayne Jackson never found his shooting touch. In the first meeting, he went for a career-high 31 points; this time he was 2 for 12 from the field and finished with six points.

While the Bears struggled, the Spartans proved to be efficient, particularly at the free throw line.

Four nights prior, the Spartans had their worst night of the season at the line, going 11 for 23 in a 75-69 nonconference loss to Morehead State. This time, they were 17 for 24 and made their first 13 foul shots before a slew of late-game misses by some seldom-used reserves.

"Our biggest challenge is that we need to stay focused," Evans said. "We need to get better from here out with every game we play."

Rich Radford, 757-446-2463, rich.radford@pilotonline.com