Norfolk State men stumble at North Carolina Central in 60-58 loss

DURHAM, N.C. (WTKR) — Like most games between the two teams, Norfolk State and North Carolina Central became a display of grit on Monday night.

The Spartans ultimately had the final shot of the game but an Allen Betrand three-pointer missed with six seconds to play, allowing the Eagles to escape with a 60-58 victory.

NSU led the game 35-29 at half, but NCCU came out in the second half on a 7-0 run to grab a 36-35 advantage. The two teams traded the lead and ties for the next few minutes until a free throw from Fred Cleveland Jr. at 11:33 gave North Carolina Central the lead for good.

Down as many as six down the stretch, the green and gold continuing to punch back. Jamarii Thomas stepped up at the charity stripe in a massive way, going 12-12 from the free throw line. The guard cut the deficit down to 59-58 with 1:26 to play in the game with a pair of foul shots, but those would be the last points Norfolk State would score.

With less than a minute on the clock, the Spartans would miss two front-ends of one-and-ones, keeping NCCU out in front. Betrand’s missed three at the end of the game came after the Eagles missed a free throw of their own to keep the door open.

The loss drops Norfolk State 10-8 on the year and 1-1 to start out MEAC play. After nearly a month between home games, the Spartans return to Echols Hall next Monday against Virginia University of Lynchburg.