Box Score
BALTIMORE, Md. – For the second time this season, the Norfolk State men's basketball team took defending MEAC champion Morgan State to overtime. But for the second time, the Bears prevailed in a thriller, holding off the Spartans 88-87 in double overtime on Saturday evening at Hill Field House.
The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Spartans (9-18, 7-7 MEAC), while the Bears (22-9, 13-1) wrapped up the MEAC regular-season championship with the victory. The win was the Bears' fourth in a row over the Spartans, who have now dropped three OT games in MEAC play this season.
After Aleek Pauline (Jamaica, N.Y.) gave NSU an 87-86 lead with nine seconds left in the second OT, Troy Smith scored on a layup with four seconds left to give the Bears the lead for good, at 88-87. NSU got the ball back, but turned it over on an inbounds play under their basket as time expired.
The Spartans battled back from a 16-point second-half deficit. A basket by Reggie Holmes with 17:03 left in regulation gave the Bears a 49-33 edge. But the Spartans held MSU to 30 percent shooting in the second half to gradually climb back into it. A Michael Deloach (Rocky Mount, N.C.) layup with 4:07 remaining in regulation gave the Spartans their first lead of the half, at 64-63.
NSU held a 70-68 advantage after Pauline hit 1-of-2 from the foul line with 45 seconds remaining. But Troy Smith hit two free throws to tie the game at 70-all and send things into overtime.
The Spartans led 77-73 after a Deloach layup with 1:20 remaining in the first overtime. But Reggie Holmes answered with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one. Deloach hit two foul shots at the other end, but Joe Davis sent the game into the second overtime with a 3-pointer of his own with 10 seconds left, knotting the score at 79. NSU missed two shots on its final possession of the stanza.
The Bears pulled ahead 86-81 in the second extra session, but NSU had one more rally left even with Deloach on the bench with five fouls. Pauline hit a pair of free throws and Brandon Wheeless (Stone Mountain, Ga.) scored on a stick-back to cut the Bear's lead to 86-85.
Kyle O'Quinn (Jamaica, N.Y.) came up big on MSU's next possession, blocking two shots by Holmes. After the Bears' Sean Thomas missed two foul shots, Pauline scored to give NSU the lead with nine seconds remaining. But Smith leaked out after the basket and gathered in a pass from Holmes before scoring the winning bucket.
Holmes scored a game-high 25 points, while Thompson had 20 points and 14 rebounds. Smith added 19 points and DeWayne Jackson chipped in with 14.
Deloach and O'Quinn scored 23 apiece to pace the Spartans. O'Quinn added 11 rebounds and a career-high seven blocked shots while making 11-of-13 shots from the floor.
Rob Hampton (Queens, N.Y.) contributed 16 points, Pauline added 13 points and six steals, and Wheeless came off the bench to grab a career-high nine boards as NSU outrebounded the hosts, 50-41.
NSU is back in action on Monday night at Coppin State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Coppin Center.
