NORFOLK — Norfolk State’s men flipped the script Saturday night, knocking off MEAC contender North Carolina Central 75-68 at Echols Hall to halt a two-game skid and further complicate an already muddled conference race.
“We knew that it was going to be a barn-burner,” head coach Robert Jones said. “Tempers flared a little bit. I mean, that’s just basketball, just testosterone. It’s a rivalry.”
Norfolk State Spartans forward Melo Baines (6) is held back by his teammates after an altercation with a North Carolina Central Eagles player during the second half at Echols Hall in Norfolk Va., on Feb, 7, 2026. (Peter Casey / The Virginian-Pilot)
The win came at a needed moment for the Spartans, who entered the day searching for offensive consistency after back-to-back losses and a sharp drop in shooting efficiency. Behind a bounce-back performance from Elijah Jamison and timely runs on both sides of halftime, Norfolk State (11-14, 4-4 MEAC) steadied itself against a game NCCU, which began the day in first place in the conference but ended it in second.
“To be honest, I forgot all about the two-game losing streak,” Jones said of winning after the back-to-back losses. “It’s the second half of the season, so I was looking at it like 0-0. It’s just a mind trick of tricking myself and not thinking about the past.”
Jamison finished with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-10 shooting as Norfolk State shot 24 of 50 from the field, a stark turnaround after shooting just 38.4% during its previous two losses. It’s more of a return to normal for NSU, however, as it led the conference in team field-goal percentage entering Saturday (45.8%).
For Jones, Jamison’s production was welcomed after his last two games averaging 25% shooting and with fellow star scorer Anthony McComb III dealing with an injury in Saturday’s game.
“Credit to that young man — he stepped up,” Jones said. “We’re always transparent with the guys. He stunk (the last two games). … When the bat signal is there, Batman shows up. So when the bat signal is on, you got to show up, and he showed up tonight.”
Norfolk State controlled much of the first half before North Carolina Central’s Gage Lattimore — the MEAC’s leading scorer — briefly swung momentum. Lattimore scored 12 points during a personal 12–2 run over a 1:40 stretch, giving the Eagles a 25-21 lead with 5:29 left before halftime.
The Spartans responded. Norfolk State closed the half on a 15-6 run, reclaiming control and taking a 36-31 advantage into the break. Jamison accounted for 11 points during that stretch, providing the offensive spark that had been missing in recent games.
Jamison opened the second half with five quick points as part of a 7-2 run that pushed the lead to eight, but NCCU later answered with a 12-0 surge behind Lattimore and Kelechi Okworogwo, retaking the lead for the first time since early in the first half. Lattimore finished with a team-high 20 points, and Okworogwo had 17.
Norfolk State answered once more. A 16-6 run over the final minutes restored separation, giving the Spartans a 64-57 cushion with 3:40 remaining and closing the door on the Eagles down the stretch.
The victory tightened the MEAC standings further, with six teams now separated by two games or fewer as the conference steadily approaches the end of the regular season.
“We have to get this team to be able to lock in, because I think that the regular-season race is still open,” Jones said. “Other teams are beating up on each other, so we’re still in a fight. Tonight was the biggest thing. We needed to win that game to stay in the fight. And we did just that.”
The Spartans are at home again Saturday, Feb. 14, hosting Delaware State.
