Joe Bryant's Monster Second Half Lifts Norfolk State Over Hampton In Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic
In the second game of the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic doubleheader, the Norfolk State Spartans defeat the Hampton Pirates 83-71.
Joe Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, including 21 points in the second half. He was one of four double-digit scorers for the Spartans, followed by Dana Tate's 21 points, Caheim Brown's 16 and Kris Bankston's 11 points to go with eight rebounds.
Hampton also had four players in double figures, led by Marquis Godwin's 21 points. Jordan Nesbitt added 19 with eight assists, Raymond Bethea Jr. scored 16 with six rebounds, and Kyrese Mullen finished with a double-double, 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The first half can be highlighted by two stats: the lead for either team never grew larger than seven, and there were 11 lead changes in the first 20 minutes. It was a back-and-forth affair, with four total players reaching double figures in the second half. Norfolk had 12 points off eight Hampton turnovers and led half in second chance points (10-0) and bench points (23-0).
What became the Achilles heel for Norfolk was the free-throw shooting: the Spartans shot 5-for-8 from the line while the Pirates went 6-for-6, giving them a 36-35 lead at halftime.
The second half, Bryant got going, scoring seven points in the first eight minutes. The game was still close until the middle of the second half when the scored was tied at 51. Norfolk erupted with a 13-0 run, Making the score 64-51 with 9:09 to go.
Hampton would cut into the lead at times, but the gap never got smaller than eight points as the Spartans would ultimately win by 12,
This was a nonconference matchup, but the Spartans and Pirates have a storied rivalry, being only separated by water and a bridge. This was the 51st time the two programs have battled, and a win gave Norfolk a 26-25 edge in the all-time series.
Regardless, Norfolk is now 16-7 overall and has won three consecutive games. The Spartans are also a perfect 4-0 in neutral site games. The next game won't be until February 11 against Maryland Eastern Shore at 4 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. CT.
Hampton falls to 6-18. Ironically, the Pirates are now 0-4 in neutral site games. The next game will be February 8 on the road against Towson. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT.