Bryant struggles, but Bankston picks up slack in Spartans’ win
NORFOLK — Joe Bryant didn’t play like one of the MEAC’s best scorers for much of Saturday afternoon.
Kris Bankston made sure he didn’t have to.
Bankston scored 23 points and served as a nuisance in the paint, and Norfolk State showed off its extraordinary depth in a 72-50 win over Morgan State at Echols Hall.
The Spartans (19-7, 8-2 MEAC), who are in a fight with Howard for control of the league, won for the sixth straight time.
And they had Bankston, a versatile 6-foot-9 senior forward, to thank. As Bryant struggled early, Bankston put on a show.
Bankston finished with nine rebounds and five blocks. More noticeably, he threw down six dunks, each bringing the announced Alumni Weekend/ Greek Night crowd of 4,155 into full throat.
Bankston said he wasn’t inclined to take over the game.
“I just feel like it’s a team effort,” he said. “When one man is down, we’ve got to pick him up. And tonight was my night that I picked up the slack.”
Bryant, who is third in the MEAC with 17.7 points per game, wasn’t exactly a slouch. The former Lake Taylor High star and the league’s reigning player of the year scored 14 points after heating up in the second half.
“Joe had a tough game,” Spartans coach Robert Jones said. “But at the same time, he made shots when he needed to make shots.”
It was Bryant’s 3 from the left wing midway through the second half that keyed a crucial 15-3 run, allowing NSU to break open a close game.
After trailing by 17 early in the second half, the Bears (12-14, 4-6) stormed back to pull to within 44-39 with 12:12 to go.
That’s when Bankston, Bryant and a cast of bench characters hit the gas. The Spartans got points from nine players and minutes from three more.
The depth, Bankston said, is a luxury.
“It means it can be anybody’s night on any given time,” he said. “That’s one thing about our depth: We can go on the bench and pick up a good player.”
Will Thomas scored 14 points for Morgan State, which shot 34.6% to the Spartans’ 52.9%.
Cahiem Brown’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the top of the key gave NSU a 35-20 halftime lead, its biggest to that point.
The shot capped a defensive first half in which the Spartans shot 52% from the field while holding Morgan State to 36%. Bankston’s first half included 14 points and five dunks, not least impressive of which was a reverse slam in traffic with 12:19 to go.
“He could’ve had a double-double,” Jones said. “He’s the most dominant big man in the league.”
The Spartans entered Saturday a game behind Howard in the MEAC standings. NSU visits the Bison in what could be a highstakes regular-season finale on March 2, just six days before the all-important league tournament begins at Scope Arena.
A top-two regular-season finish would pit the Spartans against either the No. 7 or 8 seed to open the tournament, whose winner receives an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
NSU, the two-time defending MEAC Tournament champion, is seeking an unprecedented third straight trip to the Big Dance.
“Really, down the stretch, it’s about who’s playing the best, but also who’s the healthiest,” Jones said. “Hopefully, we can stay somewhat healthy and make a run into March.”