HIGH POINT, N.C. — HIGH POINT, N.C. (WTKR) — Brian Moore's adjustment to Norfolk State has seemed nearly flawless.
On Sunday, the transfer guarded added another moment to a flourishing season in green and gold that helped lift the Spartans to a massive road win.
The guard poured in a career-high 33 points, including a dagger mid-range jumper with 25 seconds left against High Point to help clinch a 77-74 victory.
Moore shot 13-of-21 from the floor and went a perfect 7-of-7 at the free throw line in his performance, which also included six assists and five rebounds.
Norfolk State would head into the half leading 39-34 after a Christian Ings steal and slam followed by a jumpshot from Moore to close out the opening 20 minutes.
Out of the locker rooms the Panthers caught fire, using a 15-2 run to retake a 49-45 lead. The Spartans would punch right back with a 14-3 burst of their own to get out to a 59-52 lead with 11 minutes left to play.
NSU would get the advantage up to as many as nine points in the second half, but High Point launched into one final rally to get the score down to 73-72 with 1:19 remaining.
After the teams traded missed jumpers, Moore found himself with the ball in his hands with 30 seconds to play. He drove to his right off a screen and nailed a jumper just inside the elbow to get the lead back up to three. High Point's attempt at a game-tying triple was missed and Norfolk State sank a pair of free throws to ice the game out.
Ings chipped in 12 points in a victory that saw the Spartans shoot nearly 54 percent from the field. Norfolk State improved to 9-6 on the season, grabbing its third win in a row while snapping an eight-game winning streak for the Panthers.
Next up for the green and gold is the non-conference finale and a massive challenge on the road at Tennessee. The Volunteers are the top ranked team in the country and are a perfect 11-0 on the season. They'll tip things off in Knoxville Tuesday at 3:00 PM.
