WASHINGTON D.C. (WTKR) — The road to 200 took plenty of twists and turns, but Norfolk State helped head coach Robert Jones earn the milestone victory with a double digit come from behind win.
Trailing by as many as 15 against Howard, Jamarii Thomas nailed a three with 0:25 left to complete a 65-61 comeback victory on the road.
A Bryce Harris dunk nearly three minutes into the second half made it a 41-26 Bison lead. NSU trimmed the lead down to five but couldn't close the gap to get within striking distance.
With 4:51 left in the game, trailing 57-48, the Spartans launched one final rally. They stormed back with a 13-4 run to tie the game at 61, setting up Thomas' three to ultimately take the lead for good.
Thomas continued his tremendous season with 14 points along with the game-winner, while Allen Betrand also posted 14 and Christian Ings chipped in 11. Ings set up Thomas for the go-ahead shot.
Jones becomes the second Norfolk State coach to reach 200 victories, joining Charles Christian in the rare air.
A bit of trivia made, as Howard was also the opponent that Jones earned his 100th win against. That was also a come from behind win for NSU after trailing the Bison by 24 points in a 2019 game.
Norfolk State improves to 12-8 and 2-1 in MEAC play. The win is also the first time the two teams have played since Howard won the league championship over Norfolk State by a single point in 2023 with a last-minute comeback.
The Spartans get a week off before starting a three-game home stand, starting next Saturday against Coppin State.
