RALEIGH, N.C. — RALEIGH, N.C. (WTKR) — If oddsmakers didn't giver Norfolk State much of a chance against SEC champion Florida before their NCAA Tournament matchup, they certainly wouldn't have thought the Spartans had much fight when the Gators opened a 53-21 lead.
The green and gold showed that fire but it wasn't enough to climb out of the hole.
Norfolk State fell to the top seeded Gators 95-69 on Friday night, ending their 2024-25 season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"Credit to the young men for fighting because it could have easily gone from 32 to 50," said head coach Robert Jones. "A sense of pride kicked in, this is a national TV game and tournament, and everybody has some pride. I think everyone that saw from those last three minutes to the second half the team that we really are."
The game got off to a difficult start for Norfolk State. Florida built up a 24-5 lead in the first eight minutes, making eight of its first 14 shots and getting Spartans leading scorer Brian Moore Jr. in early foul trouble.
During that stretch, the green and gold went 2-for-10 from the floor and turned the ball over four times.
The deficit only grew from there, getting to 42-14 before Jones called timeout with 6:52 left in the opening half.
"He got into us a little bit," said senior guard Christian Ings. "As a unit, as a veteran led team, we just said that this is not how we wanted our tournament experience to go."
With three minutes left in the opening half, the group found a spark. The green and gold launched into an 11-0 run over the final 2:45 of the opening half to cut the lead down to 53-32 going into the locker rooms, highlighted by hustle plays from Jaylani Darden and terrific playmaking from Christian Ings.
"It really gave us the confidence that we could hang around with these guys no matter where they were ranked," said forward Chris Fields Jr. "We held our ground individually."
"Our intensity and defense, we had that fire," said forward Jalen Myers. "We had to lay it out on the line."
That spark carried over into the second half. From the start of the 11-0 run until the final buzzer, the Spartans outscored the Gators 48-42, but the deficit and Moore's foul trouble were too much to overcome.
"I'm upset that I wasn't there to help my brothers out," Moore said. "Forget the score, forget that I didn't play my best game, it's not about that. I wasn't able to help my brothers out and that's the thing that will stick with me for a minute."
The transfer guard, who does have another year of eligibility, finished the game with six points and played just 18 minutes.
Ings led the way with 16 points while Darden, a Norfolk native, contributed 15 points in their final games for the Spartans. Chris Fields Jr. chipped 14 points off off the bench.
"It's a blessing and an honor to even be here," Ings said. "I just left it all out there in my career here. I showed that all that I wanted to do was win and I got the wins to prove it. I just want to be remembered as a winner."
Florida created much of its production through second chance points and threes, scoring 24 points off offensive rebounds and nailing 10 shots from beyond the arc. Walter Clayton led all scorers with 23 points while Alijah Martin posted 17.
The loss brings Norfolk State's season to a close at 24-11, a year that saw the Spartans return to their championship ways. The program won its first MEAC Tournament title in three years and made its first appearance in the Big Dance in that same span.
"We definitely put on a good show for HBCU schools. For Norfolk State, I know we showed that we don't back down from anybody," Ings said. "We knew as long as we came together as a unit, we weren't going out that way."
"Obviously we didn't get to shock the world the way we wanted to, but we definitely put it out there that Norfolk State is going to fight no matter what," Moore said.
