Courtesy of Norfolk State Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Norfolk State men’s basketball team held its own for 40 minutes against the top-ranked team in the nation on Tuesday afternoon, as the HBCU fell 67-52 to the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers at the Food City Center.
Christian Ings led the Spartans (9-7) with 19 points and four assists, while Brian Moore Jr. added 18 points and five rebounds. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier paced the Tennessee Volunteers (13-0) with 24 points, including six 3-pointers.
Tennessee scored the game’s first five points, but a pair of jumpers from Moore and Jalen Myers helped the Spartans stay within reach. The Volunteers began to gain separation with multiple successful 3-point attempts, but Kuluel Mading responded with back-to-back baskets in the paint.
Moore scored on consecutive possessions to trim Tennessee’s advantage to 18-12. The Volunteers moved the gap to double digits soon after, as Lanier started to heat up.
Straying away from his typical mid-range dominance, Moore helped the Spartans stay afloat with a timely 3-pointer on a fast break opportunity. Ings converted with touch through contact a couple of minutes later, knocking down the ensuing free throw.
Waiting for the clock to wind down for a last-second opportunity, Ings got a floater off the glass to fall at the buzzer, sending Norfolk State into halftime trailing 35-28.
Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler knocked down a 3-pointer to get the home team started in the second half, but Ings and Jaylani Darden got the Spartans back within single digits with a pair of inside field goals.
The Volunteers boosted the gap back to double digits, holding that cushion over the HBCU hoops team for the rest of the afternoon. Norfolk State refused to fall out of the game, keeping things interesting by attacking the rim offensively while remaining staunch on the defensive end.
A pair of dunks by Tennessee’s Cade Phillips and Jordan Gainey gave the Volunteers a 60-44 lead with 5:18 to play. UT earned its largest advantage of the game – a 20-point cushion – after a 3-pointer from Lanier in the final three minutes.
The HBCU hoops squad continued to battle to the final whistle. Moore made two jumpers in the final minute of regulation, but the Spartans could not pull back within single digits of the heavyweight Volunteers.
Checking The Box Score
- Christian Ings led Norfolk State with 19 points and four assists
- Brian Moore Jr. added 18 points and five rebounds
- Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier paced Tennessee with 24 points, including six 3-pointers
- Norfolk State outscored Tennessee 28-26 in the paint
- NSU made just 2-of-13 attempts from behind the arc – its second-worst game of the season from deep, ahead of just a loss to William & Mary (1-of-14)
- Norfolk State outrebounded Tennessee 33-31
- Tennessee never trailed on Tuesday
News & Notes
- Tuesday marked the second-ever meeting between the Tennessee and Norfolk State men’s basketball programs
- Norfolk State dropped to 9-7 with the loss
- Tennessee improved to 13-0 with the loss
- The Volunteers own the No. 1 ranking in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls
UP NEXT
Norfolk State opens conference play at home on Saturday, Jan. 4, facing Maryland Eastern Shore in Echols Hall at 4 p.m.