NORFOLK — Two weeks ago, Norfolk State walked off its home floor searching for answers after a deflating MEAC loss to Maryland Eastern Shore, unsure how much margin for error still existed in a league that suddenly felt wide open.
Since then, the Spartans have quietly changed the tone of their season.
Norfolk State continued its steady climb Saturday afternoon with a 103-76 win over Coppin State, its third straight victory and most emphatic performance of the stretch, pairing offensive rhythm with a growing sense of confidence NSU coach Robert Jones believes was missing earlier in the season.
“The last three games, we’ve actually been playing pretty well,” Jones said. “Offensively, we scored over 80 the last three games. … That’s what was killing us earlier this year. We couldn’t score the ball.”
Saturday, scoring was never an issue.
After a back-and-forth opening stretch, Norfolk State (10-12, 3-2 MEAC) seized control midway through the first half with a decisive 19-3 run that ballooned the lead to 37-18. The surge was a result of perimeter shooting and a visible spike in energy that Jones said has been just as important as execution.
“Finally saw some excitement from them, some enthusiasm,” Jones said. “We are still playing the game of basketball. It’s still a game, and you have to show enthusiasm with that game. … We got some crowd engagement. So, it just showed something that we’ve been missing. Hopefully, we’re fully turning the corner in that regard.”
Anthony McComb III was the catalyst. The senior poured in 24 of his career-high 29 points in the first half, knocking down six 3-pointers as Norfolk State shot 13 of 19 from the field to open the game and made 10 3-pointers before halftime. He added six assists and three steals, leading the Spartans to a 49-36 advantage at the break.
“He can really shoot the basketball,” Jones said. “He worked on it every day. … Now he’s like our sniper.”
Coppin State briefly steadied itself with a late first-half run, but Norfolk State never let the game drift back into doubt. An 8-1 run early in the second half — all from the free-throw line — pushed the lead past 20, and a balanced offensive effort finished the job.
Elijah Jamison recorded 17 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Devon Ellis added 18 points to anchor the second half. Jaquel Morris (11 points, eight rebounds) stepped into a larger role with Keyontae Lewis sidelined.
Beyond the standings, the performance carried historical weight. The 103 points marked Norfolk State’s first 100-point Division I win since the 2010-11 season, when the Spartans defeated Coppin State in overtime.
“A little bit more excitement … just loving each other throughout the course of the game,” Jones said of the post-UMES shift. “The Xs and Os, that’s easy. But do we really love each other?”
What helped with that chemistry on the court was a team-bonding exercise earlier in the week. The Spartans were tasked with finding out five fun facts about each of their teammates that they didn’t know before. The results, Jones said, showed on the court Saturday.
As for the MEAC picture, Jones remains unmoved by early records. He said the conference will come into better clarity after the seventh game, which is at Howard on Jan. 31 for NSU.
“It’s wide open,” he said. “4-0 (MEAC leader UMES) means nothing … right now, still, it’s wide open.”
Norfolk State will try to extend its momentum Monday when it closes its three-game homestand against Morgan State. The Spartans have their first three-game win streak of the season.
“We got over that hump — now I tell the guys to be hungry for more,” Jones said. “Let’s turn that three into four, four into five and so on and so forth. There’s no rule to say that you have to lose again. So let’s enforce that not being a rule.”
