Winston-Salem, N.C., March 12?Corey Lyons scored 15 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to lead Norfolk State to a 63-58 win over Bethune-Cookman in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s tournament at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Coliseum.
The Spartans (12-17), the number three seed, advance to Friday’s semifinal round against South Carolina State, the number two seed at 8 p.m.
Although the Spartans maintained the lead through most of the beginning of the second half, the scrappy Wildcats never allowed them a comfort zone as CJ Reed (11) and John Holmes (6) combined for 17 second half points.
But Bethune-Cookman (17-16) lost a great deal of its firepower when Reed, the MEAC Rookie of the Year, picked up his fourth foul on a technical with almost 12 minutes still to play. The Wildcats were further hurt when leading rebounder Starling Alexander (7 points, 6 rebounds) was assessed his fourth and fifth fouls on a personal and technical with 11:21 remaining in the game.
“I thought the officials called the game very close in the second half,” said Norfolk State Coach Anthony Evans. “They did a really good job of keeping the game under control when it got physical.”
The Spartans were able to take advantage of the Wildcats lack of experienced depth when Lyons scored 10 of his team’s 14 points during a 14-6 run that opened an eight point lead at 51-42.
“We’re always looking for Corey to be aggressive,” said Coach Evans. “When he hit his first few shots, it gave him confidence. It gave us a big boost.”
Reed returned to the Wildcats’ lineup and they responded with a run of their own to cut the deficit to three, 61-58, with 43 seconds remaining. That is as close as they would get as the Spartans defense clamped down on Reed and Lyons hit the free throws to seal the victory.
“Norfolk State won the game and they were the better team tonight,” said Bethune-Cookman Coach Cliff Reed. “We lost our composure at certain parts of the game with the technical’s. We had to play extended minutes without CJ and we aren’t a good scoring team without him on the floor.
One area of concern for Norfolk State will be in the free-throw area where they shot 22-of-44 (50- percent).
The Wildcats won the battle of the boards with a 42-30 advantage, including 17 off the offensive glass. B-CU suffered from the floor and missed 12 of 15 three-point attempts.
Brandon Monroe of Norfolk State grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Aleek Pauline scored 10 points for the Spartans and dealt out four assists.
The Spartans split with South Carolina State during the regular season, each winning on the other’s home court. Coach Evans offers his perspective on the matchup.
“Both teams have an advantage,” said Evans. “They’re big and they rebound well. That will be a real focus for us in tomorrow’s game.”