NORFOLK — When Robert Jones spoke last week about how early success could “move the culture forward,” he wasn’t just speaking in clichés.

With a brand-new roster still learning his system, he believed the first week of the season — and a chance to start 3-0 — would be a litmus test for how quickly this team could buy into the standard.

Saturday night was that test. And for long stretches, Norfolk State looked like a team still discovering itself, but beginning to lean into that belief.

But the Spartans never reached the 3-0 mark Jones viewed as a launchpad for the season. Instead, they suffered a painful 81-78 loss to William & Mary at Echols Hall — a game they controlled for much of the second half before losing their grip in the closing minutes.

NSU (2-1) watched a cushion on the scoreboard slip away when William & Mary (1-1) ripped off a 10–0 run to seize a 75-74 lead with 2:51 remaining. During that stretch, the Spartans went 0 for 3 from the floor and committed a turnover, their offense suddenly stuck in mud just as the Tribe found their rhythm.

Moments later, with 2:30 left, Jones was hit with a technical foul after arguing with officials. Kyle Pulliam knocked down two of the ensuing free throws, nudging W&M ahead 77–76 and completing a stunning momentum swing.

“That’s more us than anybody else,” Jones said. “Missed boxes, bad execution, a couple rush shots — a lot of self-inflicted wounds. But with a brand-new team, sometimes you got to go through this. You always have to go through something to get to something.”

The rest of the night turned into a foul-and-free-throw grind, setting up a wild final sequence. Down 81-78 with the ball and just seconds left on the clock, Norfolk State got exactly the look it wanted: Elijah Jamison rising for a potential game-tying 3-pointer. He drew contact and a trip to the line.

But Jamison missed all three free throws, and after a controlled intentional miss on the third attempt, Mykel Jenkins got a look from beyond the arc. His shot bounced off, sealing the loss as the horn sounded.

“It was a rough shot, a rush shot, but we got the foul,” Jones said. “We didn’t capitalize on the first two free throws, but the execution on the intentional miss and getting a wide-open shot was perfect. We just missed it.”

NSU finished 17 of 31 (54.8%) from behind the free-throw line.

Before the chaos, the night unfolded almost exactly as Jones predicted in the preseason. The first half was a tug-of-war, with six ties, six lead changes and neither team separating by more than a possession for long stretches.

The Tribe rode five first-half 3s to stay even with the Spartans, while NSU punched back through steady interior pressure from Devon Ellis and downhill playmaking from Elijah Jamison.

Then Jamison delivered the highlight of the night: a half-court heave at the buzzer, splashing clean to send Norfolk State into the locker room up 37-36.

That momentum carried into an emphatic 12-2 run to open the second half. Jamison drilled a wing 3, then fed Anthony McComb III and Jenkins for back-to-back 3s. Adrean Newton capped the burst with a slicing layup to stretch the lead to 48-38.

From there, the Spartans managed the game until the final minutes unraveled it.

“Everything’s part of the process — wins, losses,” Jones said. “Sometimes your worst losses are your biggest wins. This was the first close game we’ve had. First two games were blowouts. There are things we have to fix, and hopefully we understand what we have to fix.”

McComb led the Spartans with 19 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Off the bench, Jenkins added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jamison had 15 of his own to go along with five assists and five rebounds. Ellis chipped in 12 points.

Jhei-R Jones paced the Tribe with 15 points, while Pulliam and Kilian Brockhoff both had 14. Reese Miller had 12.

NSU is back on the road against Old Dominion, another 757 rival, at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“Hopefully, we can take lessons from this for Tuesday,” Jones said, referencing the crosstown battle. “If it’s a close game, we have to learn how to finish. We’re going to have close games we have to win, and we’ve got to figure out how to do that.”

William & Mary will also travel to face Richmond at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

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