NORFOLK, Va. – Aleek Pauline (Jamaica, N.Y.) scored a team-high 24 points and Kyle O'Quinn (Jamaica, N.Y.) added 21 and 12 rebounds as the Norfolk State men’s basketball team outlasted SUNY-New Paltz 101-89 in the Spartans’ final preseason exhibition on Saturday night at Echols Hall.
SUNY-New Paltz hit six 3-pointers and led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but had its lead whittled to four, 47-43, heading into halftime.
The Spartans still trailed by six, 71-65, after a layup by New Paltz’s Shereef Taylor with 9:24 remaining. But NSU responded with a 15-0 run over the next four and a half minutes to take control. O’Quinn had 10 points in the spurt.
O’Quinn finished 7-of-8 from the floor, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, and hit 6-of-6 from the foul line. He also blocked four shots. Pauline was 6-of-12 from the floor and 12-of-15 from the charity stripe.
Brandon Wheeless (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Isaac Nixon (Raleigh, N.C.) added 14 points apiece and Rob Hampton (Queens, N.Y.) chipped in 11 for NSU. Wheeless also had seven rebounds and five of NSU’s 15 steals.
Harris Wichard scored 24 points and Taylor contributed 21 for New Paltz.
NSU opens the 2009-10 regular season this Friday night at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Tip-off is 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central).