NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State raced out to a 30-point lead in the first 10 minutes of the game and cruised from there, improving to a 2-0 on the young season with a 111-55 win over Penn State Wilkes-Barre on Thursday night at Echols Hall.
Christian Ings, Joe Bryant Jr. and Cahiem Brown all scored 14 points for the Spartans (2-0), who scored the fourth-most points in the school’s Division I era. The Spartans made 64.7 percent of their field goals (44-of-68), which is the fourth-best mark in school history for any level.
Bryant scored seven of his points before the first media timeout as NSU led 15-0 at the 16:34 mark. A free throw by PSU Wilkes-Barre’s Frantz Jean Pierre 11 seconds later got his team on the board but didn’t stop the bleeding, as the Spartans then rattled off 16 straight points to take a 31-1 lead. Ings capped that run with a dunk, one of nine slams by the Spartans on the night.
The Mountain Lions finally scored their first field goal when Clifton Tracey hit a 3-pointer with 10:05 left in the half. Bryant capped NSU’s first-half onslaught with a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left in the period to give NSU a 58-24 lead at the midway mark.
NSU had the opportunity to showcase its depth in the second half. Twelve Spartans played Thursday, each for at least eight minutes, and all 12 scored. NSU hit 65.6 percent of its shots in the second half and topped the 100-point mark on two Andre Bottoms free throws with 5:18 left to play. The Spartans led by as many as 59 points in the closing minute.
Tyrese Jenkins added 12 points and nine boards while both Kris Bankston and Dana Woodley scored 10 apiece. Nyzaiah Chambers chipped in eight points and seven rebounds. Bryant paced NSU with six assists with Ings adding four. Both of those guards, along with Terrance Jones, had three steals each. NSU recorded 15 steals on the night and seven blocks, three by Chris Ford.
Courtesy: Norfolk State Athletics
