Norfolk State Sweeps UMES on the road

Posted: Feb 15, 2025 / 08:06 PM EST

Updated: Feb 15, 2025 / 08:23 PM EST

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (Courtesy of NSU Athletics) — The Norfolk State men’s basketball team earned a hard-fought 75-63 road victory Saturday evening at the Hytche Center.

Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 17 points, adding six rebounds and four assists to his totals. Jaylani Darden (16) and Chris Fields Jr. (13) also scored in double-figures in the win.

Redshirt freshman Jordan Leaks got the Spartans on the board first, following a steal and dish from Darden. NSU opened up an 11-0 run over the next five minutes with Terrance Jones capping the run off with a 3-pointer from the top right half of the arc.

UMES opened up a 5-0 run, cutting the NSU advantage down to 15-10. Jones muscled his way to the rim to stop the Hawks run with 9:51 left in the first half. Both teams produced strong defensive efforts over the next two minutes of the contest, before Darden knocked down a 3-pointer giving NSU a 10-point lead.

Norfolk State continued the offensive attack with back-to-back layups from Leaks and Darden allowing NSU to take a 25-10 advantage. Kyrell Shaw halted the Spartans momentum with 2:16 left in the half with a 3-pointer.

UMES used a 7-3 run to climb back into the contest before the half cutting the lead to 10. Sin’Cere McMahon gave Norfolk State the momentum right before half, with a swift move to the rim, putting the Spartans up by 12 heading into the locker room.

UMES came out of the gates going 3-for-3 from the field, including a 3-pointer to cut the NSU lead down to single digits early in the second half. Fields used a pair of free throws and a hard-fought layup to extend the NSU advantage back up to double digits just before the first media timeout of the second half.

The Hawks kept battling with Shaw draining a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Fields answered back for the Spartans with a dunk to silence the Hytche Center. UMES fought back, scoring the next seven points to get within five at 47-42 in favor of NSU.

Five straight points from Darden put the Spartans back up by ten points with just over eight minutes to play in the contest. Shaw halted the Spartans’ momentum, draining a 3-pointer from the left corner. The two teams continued trading baskets over the next two minutes of the game before NSU used a timeout with the 61-51 edge.

Moore sunk a pair of key free throws with 3:29 left to play, giving NSU its largest advantage since the 3:10 mark of the first half at 65-52. The Hawks wouldn’t go away easy scoring the next five points of the game at the charity stripe.

The Hawks hit back-to-back 3-pointers on their next two possessions to cut the Spartans lead to 68-61 with 1:11 left to play. A 5-0 run with under 30 seconds to play put the game away, giving NSU a 75-63 win.

Checking the Box Score

Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 17 points, adding six rebounds and four assists to his totals
Jaylani Darden (16) and Chris Fields Jr. (13) also scored in double-figures
Norfolk State outrebounded Maryland Eastern Shore 32-28
NSU shot 24-of-34 from the free throw line (70.6 percent)
The Spartans outscored the Hawks on fastbreak points 17-0
Saturday’s game featured two lead changes and two ties
Norfolk State capitalized off turnovers, scoring 20 points

News & Notes

Norfolk State improved to 17-8 with the win (7-1 MEAC)
Maryland Eastern Shore fell to 4-20 with the loss (0-8 MEAC)
NSU now leads the all-time series 55-18
The Spartans extended their winning streak to five straight
NSU made a season high 24 free throws
Jaylani Darden tied his career high with 16 points
Brian Moore Jr. set a career high with nine made free throws

Up Next
Norfolk State returns to Echols Hall on Monday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. against Delaware State.

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The Norfolk State women’s basketball team took care of business on Saturday afternoon, taking down Maryland Eastern Shore 70-48 at the Hytche Center.

Graduate guard Diamond Johnson led NSU with 17 points, adding nine rebounds, five assists and one steal to her totals. Niya Fields (15) and Anjanae Richardson (10) also scored in double-figures in the win.

Norfolk State built an early advantage, draining 4-of-5 from behind the arc to gain a 14-6 advantage with 5:37 to go in the first quarter. The Spartans continued their hot shooting from 3-point land with Fields knocking down her second of the game coming out of the media timeout.

NSU closed out the first quarter on an 8-2 run, capped off by a coast-to-coast layup from Richardson, allowing Norfolk State to take a 27-11 edge into the second quarter.

Da’naijah Williams kept the NSU momentum going to open the second quarter with a 3-pointer of her own. UMES held NSU scoreless for the next three minutes of the contest, but the Spartans only allowed the Hawks to score three points during that span. Fields ended the scoring drought with her fourth 3-pointer of the contest with 5:22 remaining before halftime.

Back-to-back layups from Ce’nara Skanes forced the Spartans to take a timeout and halt the Hawks momentum. Norfolk State ended the hard fought second quarter with Richardson knocking down a 3-pointer to give NSU a 39-20 lead at halftime.

NSU continued its 3-point barrage out of the locker room with Williams draining her second of the game. Johnson forced her first steal of the contest, leading to a coast-to-coast layup from Williams, extending the NSU advantage to 20 early in the third quarter.

Makoye Diawara finished off a 7-2 run, draining NSU’s 10th 3-pointer of the contest to give the Spartans a 51-26 lead with 6:06 left in the third quarter. Skanes ended the five and a half minute scoring drought for the Eagles, before Johnson got to the rim for the bucket right before the end of the third quarter.

Norfolk State opened the fourth quarter by making a 3-pointer, allowing NSU to open each quarter of the game with a 3-pointer. Fields found Johnson for the driving layup and halting the UMES 5-0 run with 6:23 left to play in the game.

UMES gained some positive momentum at the end of the contest going on a 7-3 run, before NSU took the 70-48 win on the road.

Checking the Box Score

Diamond Johnson led the Spartans with 17 points, adding nine rebounds, five assists, and one steal to her totals
Niya Fields (15) and Anjanae Richardson (10) also scored in double-figures
Norfolk State opened each quarter by draining a 3-pointer
NSU shot 50.0% from behind the arc (12-of-24)
The Hawks outrebounded the Spartans 40-33
Norfolk State never trailed in the win

News & Notes