Noah Schlekeway
Feb 16, 2025
The Norfolk State men's basketball team earned a hard-fought 75-63 road victory Saturday evening at the Hytche Center.
Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 17 points, adding six rebounds and four assists to his totals. Jaylani Darden (16) and Chris Fields Jr. (13) also scored in double-figures in the win.
Redshirt freshman Jordan Leaks got the Spartans on the board first, following a steal and dish from Darden. NSU opened up an 11-0 run over the next five minutes with Terrance Jones capping the run off with a 3-pointer from the top right half of the arc.
UMES opened up a 5-0 run, cutting the NSU advantage down to 15-10. Jones muscled his way to the rim to stop the Hawks run with 9:51 left in the first half. Both teams produced strong defensive efforts over the next two minutes of the contest, before Darden knocked down a 3-pointer giving NSU a 10-point lead.
Norfolk State continued the offensive attack with back-to-back layups from Leaks and Darden allowing NSU to take a 25-10 advantage. Kyrell Shaw halted the Spartans momentum with 2:16 left in the half with a 3-pointer.
UMES used a 7-3 run to climb back into the contest before the half cutting the lead to 10. Sin'Cere McMahon gave Norfolk State the momentum right before half, with a swift move to the rim, putting the Spartans up by 12 heading into the locker room.
UMES came out of the gates going 3-for-3 from the field, including a 3-pointer to cut the NSU lead down to single digits early in the second half. Fields used a pair of free throws and a hard-fought layup to extend the NSU advantage back up to double digits just before the first media timeout of the second half.
The Hawks kept battling with Shaw draining a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Fields answered back for the Spartans with a dunk to silence the Hytche Center. UMES fought back, scoring the next seven points to get within five at 47-42 in favor of NSU.
Five straight points from Darden put the Spartans back up by ten points with just over eight minutes to play in the contest. Shaw halted the Spartans' momentum, draining a 3-pointer from the left corner. The two teams continued trading baskets over the next two minutes of the game before NSU used a timeout with the 61-51 edge.
Moore sunk a pair of key free throws with 3:29 left to play, giving NSU its largest advantage since the 3:10 mark of the first half at 65-52. The Hawks wouldn't go away easy scoring the next five points of the game at the charity stripe.
The Hawks hit back-to-back 3-pointers on their next two possessions to cut the Spartans lead to 68-61 with 1:11 left to play. A 5-0 run with under 30 seconds to play put the game away, giving NSU a 75-63 win.
Checking the Box Score
- Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 17 points, adding six rebounds and four assists to his totals
- Jaylani Darden (16) and Chris Fields Jr. (13) also scored in double-figures
- Norfolk State outrebounded Maryland Eastern Shore 32-28
- NSU shot 24-of-34 from the free throw line (70.6 percent)
- The Spartans outscored the Hawks on fastbreak points 17-0
- Saturday's game featured two lead changes and two ties
- Norfolk State capitalized off turnovers, scoring 20 points
News & Notes
- Norfolk State improved to 17-8 with the win (7-1 MEAC)
- Maryland Eastern Shore fell to 4-20 with the loss (0-8 MEAC)
- NSU now leads the all-time series 55-18
- The Spartans extended their winning streak to five straight
- NSU made a season high 24 free throws
- Jaylani Darden tied his career high with 16 points
- Brian Moore Jr. set a career high with nine made free throws
Up Next
Norfolk State returns to Echols Hall on Monday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. against Delaware State.