HAMPTON, Va. — Norfolk State bounced back gracefully on Saturday from its first loss of the season, earning a 67-58 road victory over Hampton in the Battle of the Bay.
Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans in scoring for the fourth time this season, tallying 20 points on a 7-of-10 shooting night. Christian Ings added 16 points and seven assists, while former Spartan George Beale Jr., an NSU transfer and Suffolk native, led Hampton with 12 points.
Fueled by a packed home environment, Hampton opened the game on a 6-0 run. The burst included two second chance baskets, as well as a trip to the free throw line by way of an intentional foul call.
Kuluel Mading got the Spartans on the board with a timely 3-pointer, before Moore scored five consecutive points to put Norfolk State back in front. Ings drained the Spartans' third triple in as many minutes, extending the scoring run to 12-0.
Hampton's Kyrese Mullen, a Norfolk native, stopped the bleeding with another second-chance field goal, but Terrance Jones responded right back with a paint score. Moore showed off his offensive versatility, knocking down a jumper before finding Tyrel Bladen for a two-handed dunk. The slam brough Norfolk State's advantage to 21-8 on a 21-2 run.
Back-to-back buckets from Noah Farrakhan got the Pirates back on their feet, but Jalen Myers responded with a pair of successful field goals in quick succession. Moore nabbed a loose ball soon after, cruising from end to end for a wide-open dunk.
After Hampton beat the shot clock with a last-second 3-pointer, Ings connected with Moore to set up another smooth dunk. Hampton converted once more from deep before the break, as Norfolk State went to halftime with a 34-20 lead.
Beale helped Hampton claw back to a single-digit deficit with two scores early in the second half, including a pullup 3-pointer. Five straight points from Mullen shortly after cut the gap to six.
Ings got a layup to fall with a foul to slow down Hampton's momentum but couldn't complete the three-point play. He made up for it just a few minutes later, draining a 3-pointer while absorbing plenty of contact from the defense's closeout.
Myers hit his first 3-pointer of the season as the cushion reached 11, but several Hampton scores brought the Pirates back within six. Moore converted another open shot from behind the arc, pushing Norfolk State's lead to 51-42 with under eight minutes to play.
The Spartans continued to knock down crucial deep shots, as Myers gave Norfolk State it's double-digit lead back on another 3-pointer. Sin'Cere McMahon drew a foul on the fast break a few minutes later, converting the layup while earning a trip to the line for one more.
Norfolk State knocked down its free throws down the stretch, securing its first victory on Hampton's home floor since 2015.
Earlier the NSU women were led by Kierra Wheeler and Diamond Johnson' 16 and 15 points respectively as they beat Hampton 62-53.
Norfolk State took control of the game early, logging a pair of layups before Johnson hit a big 3-pointer. The Spartans continued to build separation a few minutes later with a corner jumper from Johnson and a Da'Brya Clark free throw.
A pair of costly Spartan turnovers resulted in five points from Jasha Clinton, from Princess Anne High School in the Beach, to end the first quarter, cutting the NSU lead down to four (16-12).
The second quarter opened with the two squads trading buckets before back-to-back jumpers from Johnson and Da'naijah Williams led to a Hampton timeout with 5:16 remaining in the half.
Back-to-back scores out of the timeout from the Pirates trimmed the Spartans' lead down to just two. Norfolk State used an offensive rebound and a second-chance 3-pointer from Fields at the top of the key, stopping the Hampton momentum.
NSU kept piling on the pressure, forcing a pair of turnovers on a 7-2 run just before halftime with four points from Wheeler and two points from Anjanae Richardson. Norfolk State took the 33-24 lead into the locker room.
The Spartans opened the second half with a quick bucket from Makoye Diawara, grabbing its first double-digit lead. HU fought back, gaining some ground before the media timeout (39-33).
NSU regrouped following the timeout, forcing three straight Pirate turnovers. Clark helped extend the Spartans' lead to nine with 3:19 remaining in the third quarter with a layup. Following the layup, Clark forced a pair of steals to help build the Spartan lead back up to 11.
Fields with a smooth 3-point jumper sparked the Spartans at the beginning of the fourth quarter, increasing the lead to 12. The Pirates continued to fight back with a 5-0 run, causing the Spartans to take a timeout with 5:33 remaining in the contest (50-43).
Wheeler stopped the Pirates' momentum with a hard-fought layup at the hoop, getting fouled, sinking a free throw, and putting the Spartans up five. NSU stopped the HU momentum late with a dish from Johnson to Wheeler, giving the Spartans a seven-point lead with 1:07 remaining (58-50).