WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Norfolk State men's basketball team took its first loss of the season on Tuesday night, falling 84-73 at William & Mary at Kaplan Arena.
 
Fresh off earning the first MEAC Player of the Week award of the 2024-25 campaign, Brian Moore Jr. scored a career-high 31 points to go with six rebounds on Tuesday. Through four games, the graduate guard averages 23.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.
 
William & Mary (2-1) took control of the game early, logging a pair of inside scores before Moore got to the rim for Norfolk State's (3-1) first points of the evening on an and-one opportunity. The Tribe gained separation a few minutes later on a 3-pointer from Keller Booth.
 
Norfolk State began to find success on the offensive side of the court but couldn't keep up with the Tribe's hot streak from behind the arc. William & Mary knocked down three triples on three consecutive possessions, eventually taking a 26-15 lead on a layup from Matteus Case.
 
Back-to-back scores by William Collier kept the momentum going for the Tribe, as the offensive avalanche continued. Ings made a fast break layup to temporarily slow things down, but back-to-back William & Mary 3-pointers pushed the gap to 20 points at 43-23.
 
Moore knocked down a silky-smooth mid-range jumper, but two consecutive inside scores from the Tribe gave the home team its biggest lead of the first half: 22 points (47-25).
 
The Spartans fought back to gain some ground back before halftime. Moore took advantage of an opposing turnover for an easy score, before Terrance Jones converted a layup through contact for a three-point play, trimming the halftime score to 47-32.
 
William & Mary regrouped fast after the break, scoring on its first two offensive possessions. Kyle Pulliam drained a 3-pointer a few minutes later to bring the Tribe lead to 20 points once again, before Jalen Myers made a close shot as a quick response.
 
The Tribe hit five 3-pointers in just a few minutes from there, though, earning a 24-point advantage – its largest of the night. Terrance Jones knocked down the Spartans' first 3-pointer of the night to stop the run with 7:46 to play.
 
The shot sparked a 12-1 run for the Spartans, cutting the gap to 13 in just over 70 seconds of action. But William & Mary knocked down two more dagger 3-pointers shortly after, keeping the Spartans out of striking distance the rest of the night.
 
Checking The Box Score

• Brian Moore Jr. led Norfolk State with 31 points and six rebounds
• Jalen Myers tallied 17 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the floor
• William & Mary led Norfolk State 47-32 at halftime
• Moore scored 17 of the Spartans' 32 first half points
• Norfolk State shot 1-of-14 from behind the arc (7.1 percent), while William & Mary hit 16-of-46 of its 3-point attempts
• William & Mary led for 39 minutes and 25 seconds 

News & Notes

• Norfolk State dropped to 3-1 with the loss
• William & Mary improved to 2-1 with the win
• The Spartans now stand tied in the all-time series with William & Mary 3-3, snapping a three-game win streak against the Tribe
• Brian Moore Jr. scored 17 points in the first half of Tuesday's game, marking his second consecutive half with 17 points, tallying 17 in the second period of Norfolk State's 83-69 win over JMU on Saturday
• Moore's 31 points marked a new career high for the graduate guard

 
UP NEXT
 
Norfolk State will play its fourth consecutive game against in-state competion this weekend, remaining on the road to face Hampton for the Battle of the Bay at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16.
 
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