NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Survive and advance has been a motto of March for quite some time and Friday night saw Norfolk State do just that.
Christian Ings scored 19 points and the Spartans overcame a rough-shooting first half to hold off Morgan State, 58-55, in the MEAC semifinals at Scope Arena. NSU improved to 23-10 on the season.
"Another day of survive and advance," head coach Robert Jones said. "This is why they call it March Madness. There's a lot of Madness going on out there, but once again we were able to survive and advance."
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the opening frame. The Bears led by as many as six points thanks to an 11-1 run that would help them surge ahead, but the green and gold responded with a 7-0 run of their own to come back and take a one point lead. Morgan State would score the final four points of the frame to head into the locker room with a 28-25 advantage. Norfolk State shot 32 percent in the first half.
The fifth-seeded Bears would open up a five point lead early in the second half, but Norfolk State chipped away to move back in front with 13 minutes remaining. Jones watched his team open things up a bit, as Brian Moore Jr.'s three-pointer put his squad in front, 54-47, with 4:23 to play. Morgan State closed the gap to three points, but the Spartans had an answer and led 58-52 after a Moore dunk with 1:19 remaining.
MSU had some fight left. Rob Lawson hit a lay-up, one that saw the ball sit on the back iron for a second or two before falling through the hoop, and was fouled. Lawson connected on the free throw to trim the Spartan advantage to 58-55 with 59 seconds remaining in the game. Moore would miss the front end of a one-and-one opportunity and the Bears called a timeout with seven seconds left, setting up a nail-biting finish.
The Spartans, however, would prevail. Kameron Hobbs was able to get a shot off in the final seconds, but it was off the mark and time expired, allowing NSU to hang on for the win.
In addition to Ings' 19 points, Moore chipped in 14 points of his own to help fuel the win. Morgan State shot just 35 percent from the floor.
The Spartans are back in the championship game after losing in the semifinals last season.
Norfolk State will take on South Carolina State for the MEAC title Saturday at 1:00 PM.
