TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)—Tony Murphy scored 22 of his 26 points in the first half as Norfolk St. cruised to a 77-66 win over Florida A&M in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game on Monday.
The win puts the Spartans at 8-2 in the MEAC, their best start in the conference in school history.
Murphy was 10-for-22 from the field, pulled down nine rebounds, and his 22 first half points propelled the Spartans to a 45-35 halftime lead. Florida A&M closed within six twice in the second half, but each time Norfolk St. responded by scoring the next six points.
Norfolk St. out-rebounded the Rattlers 51-33, and outscored them 42-20 in the paint. The Spartans also scored 23 points off of 21 offensive rebounds.
Brandon Monroe added 14 points and Michael Deloach scored 13 and had 5 assists for the Spartans (12-10, 8-2 MEAC).
Leslie Robinson scored 21 for the Rattlers (8-15, 4-6 MEAC), who have now lost four straight games. Akini Akini added 12 and had 10 rebounds.
