image via Nick Sutton
It did not come easy and there were times of uncertainty but Norfolk State showed the heart of a champion, battling back from an 11-point deficit to defeat South Carolina State 66-65 to take the MEAC Tournament.
South Carolina showed the way until Norfolk State tied the game at 10 on Chris Fields Jr’s layup at the 13:06 mark After ties at 15 and 17 apiece, the teams swapped the lead South Carolina Stare reclaimed the point when Wilson Dubinsky connected from downtown that put the Bulldogs back in front 22-21 with 5:46 left in the half. A 12-2 SCSU spurt gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the afternoon at 34-22 and they would take a 34-25 lead into halftime.
The Spartans continued to play uphill, trimming the deficit to a single point on three separate occasions but South Carolina responded to stave off the Spartans. Norfolk was finally able to square the contest at 44 on a pair of Jaylani Darden free throws at the 11:24 mark. The Spartans also tied the game at 47 and 49 before two free throws from Christian Ings put NSU up 51-49, their first lead since 21-19 in the first half. Norfolk State built a 61-51 lead with 2:01 left in the contest and seemed to have seized control of the matchup. However, a 14-4 spurt over 1:59, greatly assisted by Norfolk State going 2-4 from the charity stripe and committing 3 turnovers, pulled the Bulldogs even at 65 on Caleb McCarty’s layup with just 0:10 left in the game. McCarty inexplicably fouled Christian Ings the subsequent NSU possession, sending him to the line with 0:08 to go in the tournament. Ings split the free throws and SCSU secured the defensive rebound, giving the Bulldogs a chance to potentially win the game with 0:08 to go. Jayden Johnson’s potential game-winning jumper fell no good, preserving the narrowest of wins for the Spartans.
Christian Ings led Norfolk State with 16 points and 7 rebounds; Brian Moore Jr was the other Spartan in double figures with 15 points, adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Wilson Dubinsky paced South Carolina State with 24 points, while Omar Croskey was the Bulldog in double-figures with 10 points.
Guard Brian Moore Jr. was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player; he and fellow guard Christian Ings both made the MEAC All-Tournament team. Head coach Robert Jones was named the MEAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Coach for the third time of his illustrious The win secured the fourth MEAC Tournament championship for the Spartans and another trip to the NCAA Tournament, their first since 2022.
