FINAL STATS

NORFOLK, Va. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team couldn't overcome a slow start to the second half in the Gamecocks road opener on Tuesday night, when they fell at Norfolk State, 70-53 at Echols Arena.

The Gamecocks (1-1) went seven minutes without a field goal early in the second half and let the Spartans (1-1) jump out to a lead JSU couldn't take away. NSU senior Rob Hampton led all scorers with 26 points to even the series at 2-2 and snap a two-game winning streak by the Gamecocks against the Spartans.

Just one game after its best rebounding margin in its Division I history, JSU got beat on the glass, 38-27 by the Spartans. The advantage led to 20 second-chance points by NSU and never allowed the Gamecocks to put together a run in the second half.

Senior Nick Murphy led JSU with 18 points after scoring just three in a first half that was shortened due to foul trouble. The native of Bronx, N.Y., was 5-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free throw line, while picking up a team-best five rebounds. Junior Stephen Hall scored all 13 of his points in the first half and failed to pull in a board in the game.

Norfolk State center Kyle O'Quinn controlled the glass on the night with 15 rebounds, six on the offensive end. The 6-foot-10 native of Jamaica, N.Y., also scored nine points.

JSU shot just 40 percent from the floor and hit only three of its 15 attempts from behind the arc, while the Spartans put in 48 percent of their attempts from the field.

The Spartans stormed out to a commanding lead on the glass, grabbing 13 of the game's first 17 boards. They used second-chance points to build a seven-point lead in the first 13 minutes, but JSU held them without a field goal over the final 6:23 of the half to pull even at 30-30 at intermission.

Hall led all scorers in the first half with 13 points, thanks to a 5-for-7 effort from the floor. NSU got 12 from Hampton, who scored seven of the Spartans' first 13 points.

The Gamecocks went through a seven-minute drought without a field goal early in the second half that led to a 13-2 NSU run. The Spartans used the stretch to build their largest lead to that point, a 47-34 advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the game.

The Gamecocks will travel to Lexington, Va., where they will face VMI on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on the JSU Radio Network and can also be heard online at www.jsugamecocksports.com.