NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- After ending the regular season with back-to-back 19 point victories, Norfolk State kept the blowout trend going to open the MEAC Tournament.
Christian Ings scored 17 points and knocked down four three-pointers to pace the Spartans to a 75-51 win over Coppin State in the MEAC quarterfinals Wednesday evening at Scope.
The Eagles hung around early on, using a 17-3 run to take a 17-10 lead, but the green and gold stormed back and took control. Ings knocked down back-to-back three pointers, including a four-point play to tie the game and Jack Doumbia gave NSU the lead for good with a jumper to put the squad ahead, 19-17, with 7:44 remaining in the first half. Robert Jones and company went into halftime with a 31-25 advantage.
The Spartans flexed the muscle of the number one seed in the second half, outscoring Coppin State, 44-26, in the final 20 minutes. They exploded out of the locker room on an 18-5 run to slam the door and put the game out of reach.
Ings's 17 points tied a season high, while Doumbia tallied 14 points, converting on all eight of his free throw attempts. Kaluel Mading put together an all-around strong outing, scoring 12 points, grabbing nine rebounds and tallying four blocks.
Wednesday marked the third straight double-digit win for the Spartans, something Jones doesn't mind at all.
"We had a lot of tight games at the beginning, too many tight games at the beginning," the head coach smiled after the win. "The last three games we've actually won by an average of 20 points a game, so hopefully we're trending the right way."
Norfolk State will meet Howard in the MEAC semifinals Friday night at 6:00 PM.
