Alex Lehmbeck
Jan 5, 2025
NORFOLK, Va. – The defending MEAC regular season champion started off conference play with authority, as the Norfolk State men's basketball team used a well-rounded performance to cruise past Maryland Eastern Shore 81-50 on Saturday evening at Echols Hall.
Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 22 points and seven rebounds, adding three steals and a career-high four blocks. NSU received several strong performances from its bench, including 14 points from Chris Fields Jr. and 10 points and six assists from Jaylani Darden.
Jalen Myers scored the home team's first two baskets of the day, before Moore knocked down a 3-pointer. Kuluel Mading tallied six straight points for the Spartans, including a pair of dunks, racing Norfolk State out to a 16-4 lead.
Back-to-back scores from Darden, capped off by a wing 3-pointer, extended NSU's cushion to 17 around the halfway point of the first period. Maryland Eastern Shore gathered itself from there, though, knocking down multiple triples to get back within single digits.
A driving layup from one of the MEAC's top scorers, Ketron Shaw, cut the Hawks' deficit to six with under five minutes remaining in the first half. The guard's freshman younger brother, Tyrell Shaw, got to the rim for two more points moments later to get the UMES bench on its feet.
Needing a basket to regain momentum, Mading drove to the basket and finished through contact for a 3-point play. Moore knocked down a jumper a couple of possessions later, but the younger Shaw sibling responded with a 3-pointer at the other end.
Christopher Flippin hit a turnaround jumper with 18 seconds to play in the first half, as Norfolk State went to the locker room with a 35-29 advantage. Flippin opened the second half with a two-handed dunk, but Moore continued where he left off with a mid range jumper soon after.
Maryland Eastern Shore cut the deficit to one possession on multiple occasions early in the second half, but Sin'Cere McMahon provided his first 3-pointer of the night in timely fashion to create some separation. Darden pushed the pace and found Myers for an and-one layup soon after, helping Norfolk State bring its advantage back to double-digits.
Moore reached the 20-point mark for the seventh time this season, scoring through contact for an old fashioned 3-point play. Chris Fields Jr. began to heat up off the bench, knocking down his first triple of the season as part of a 14-point performance.
The Spartans emptied their bench in the final minutes, paving the way for scoring contributions from newcomers Melo Baines and Dramane Camara.