EL PASO, Texas — Coach Robert Jones’ Norfolk State teams have built their brand on notable victories away from home, and Sunday night was the latest step on that glory road.
The Spartans never trailed in the second half and held off UTEP 72-71 in the first round of the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational. Anthony McComb III scored 21 points for NSU, Elijah Jamison had 12, and Adrean Newton had seven points and five assists.
For the Miners, Caleb Blackwell had 18 points and seven assists, Jamal West Jr. had 16 points (on 7-of-8 shooting) and 13 rebounds, and Kaseem Watson had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. But UTEP was undone by 12-of-27 free-throw shooting.
NSU (6-8), a frequent visitor to this event through the years, earned a spot in Monday night’s championship game against UC Irvine (8-5), last season’s National Invitation Tournament runner-up. UTEP had to settle for a consolation-game berth against North Dakota State (10-4). In Sunday’s first semifinal, the Anteaters nipped the Bison 74-73.
NSU trailed 25-19 before going on a 26-7 surge, giving the Spartans a 45-32 lead 18 seconds after intermission when Newton sank a 3-pointer.
But UTEP worked its way back into contention, pulling even at 68 at the 1:06 mark on a Blackwell layup. Jamison went 1 of 2 at the free-throw line with 51 seconds to go, and the Miners fired an airball that led to a shot-clock violation.
In between another UTEP miss, McComb went 3 of 4 at the line for a 72-68 lead. Watson sank a 3-pointer with less than a second left, but that wasn’t enough time to worry NSU.
