Box Score NORFOLK, VA—The South Carolina State Bulldogs wrapping up their third Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contest in seven days, fell short 81-70 to Norfolk State Wednesday (Feb.15) at Echols Hall

Ed Stephens finished with a team-high 20 points, while having a solid night shooting from behind the arc shooting with 44% (4-of-9) from three-point land. Senior guard Eric Eaves added 14 and Greg Mortimer chipped in 13. Orangeburg native Tashombe Riley added nine points and five rebounds in the loss.

The Spartans jumped out to an early 11-point lead, 23-12, off a pair of free throws by Jordan Butler at the 8:35 mark in the first half.  A dunk by freshman forward Ozante Fields followed by a three pointer by Stephens narrowed the margin to two, 36-34, with a 1:03 remaining in intermission.

Zaynah Robinson tossed in a three pointer with 0:33 seconds left in the half to push the lead to five. Norfolk State led 39-35 during halftime. Robinson finished with 14 points on the evening.

The Spartans looked to be in control of things in the second half tossing in four straight free throws down the stretch to extend their lead to 14, 65-41, with 8:30 remaining. A dunk by Eaves sparked an 15-4 run by the Bulldogs to pull within three, 69-66, with 5:39 remaining in regulation.

Costly turnovers down the stretch seemed to be the deciding factor as Norfolk State took full advantage scoring on back-to-back layups by Kyle Williams and Dan Robinson. Williams then knocked down a pair of free throws during the scoring drive to give the Spartans an 11-point lead with 2:42 remaining.

Norfolk State held on to capture their ninth straight win in an 81-70 victory. The Spartans improve to 13-13 overall, 10-2 in the MEAC.

NSU's Jonathan Wade finished with the games only double-double in 27 points and 11 rebounds.

Despite the loss, South Carolina State led in several key categories throughout the game such as points off turnovers (13/12), fast break points (15/0), along with being tied in rebounding (36/36) and bench points (25/25).

Next up South Carolina State returns home to take on Coppin State on Saturday (Feb.18) in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Tipoff is 2 p.m. for the women, with the men following in a 4 p.m. start afterwards.

For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.