Norfolk State 74, Navy 68
NORFOLK, Va. -- Norfolk State led by as many as 26 points midway through the second half but still had to hold off furious late rally by Navy for a 74-68 win Saturday.
Pendarvis Williams led the Spartans with 21 points, while Malcolm Hawkins added 17 and Rob Johnson 15. The trio combined to make all of the Spartans' 3-pointers, going 9 of 17.
A hot-shooting Kevin Alter scored a career- and team-high 18 points, all on 3-pointers, while Tilman Dunbar had 12 and Worth Smith 11 to lead the Midshipmen.
After playing 14 of their first 16 games on the road, the Spartans (7-10) found the return home to their liking and started the first half on fire, shooting 63 percent (15 of 24) while opening the game on a 17-4 run.
The Spartans extended their lead to 33-14 with 6:26 left in the half and went into intermission with a 44-22 lead.
The Midshipmen (6-10), conversely, shot just 33 percent (9 of 27) in the first half. Knorr's nine points, all coming on 3-pointers, led the way. They shot 41 percent for the game (26 of 63).
Williams and Hawkins powered the Spartans' first-half run, each scoring 14 points in the opening 20 minutes.
The Spartans extended their lead to 26 with 12:05 left before cooling off. They shot 55 percent (24 of 44) overall.
Five 3-pointers from Alter fueled a late rally by Navy, with his last shot cutting the Spartans' lead to five with eight seconds remaining.
However, the Spartans had just enough of a cushion to prevail, and the Midshipmen ran out of time.
