NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk State men's basketball team extended its best Division I start to (6-1) on Tuesday night by holding visiting Regent University to the fewest points in school history in the Spartans’ 95-20 win at Echols Hall.
The 1995-96 team was the last Spartan program to begin a season 6-1.
NSU held the Royals (2-6) to 14 percent shooting (7-of-49) and forced 29 Regent turnovers. NSU converted those into 36 points at the other end, 25 via the fast break.
Jalen Hawkins paced NSU with 16 points, 12 in the first half. Dana Tate Jr. added a season-high 13 and Joe Bryant also scored 13 for the Spartans, who saw all 14 of their players score at least two points.
Regent was within 8-6 at the 12:42 mark of the first half after a jumper by Stanley Adjei. But the Spartans answered with a 14-0 run, fueled by eight points by Hawkins, to open up a 22-6 lead. The Royals scored just once more the rest of the half, as NSU scored 34 of the final 36 points of the stanza to take a 42-8 lead into the intermission.
Hawkins led all Spartans with 12 points in the first half. In all, nine different Spartans scored in the period. NSU held Regent to 4-of-25 shooting (16 percent) while forcing 14 Royals turnovers.
NSU’s defense continued to smother Regent in the second half, allowing just one field goal in the first 11 minutes of the period. The final margin represented NSU’s largest lead on the night, and is the biggest margin of victory for NSU is the third-largest in school history. Only a 78-point win over Mid-Atlantic Christian (112-34) on Dec. 14, 2017 was bigger in the Spartans’ Division I history.
Chris Ford, Terrance Jones and Dana Woodley both scored six points apiece for NSU. Sixty-three of NSU’s points were scored by the Spartan bench.
Twelve Spartans notched at least one steal Tuesday, with Cahiem Brown recording a team-high three of NSU’s 18 total. Ford also blocked three shots, while Kris Bankston blocked two and led the team with seven rebounds. Bryant handed out a team-best six assists.
The Spartans are on the road this weekend for the inaugural Boost Mobile HBCU Challenge hosted by Chris Paul in Phoenix. The two-day showcase begins Sunday as the Spartans take on Hampton at 8 p.m.