The NKU men’s basketball team beat Norfolk State 72-61  in Virginia Saturday night. The Norse improve to 5-3 while Norfolk State falls to 2-7.

The Norse were propelled by 15-2 run in the middle of the first half, carrying them to a 31-23 halftime lead. The Spartans shot just 26 percent in the first half, while NKU shot 41 percent from the field.

Despite allowing the Spartans to shoot 53 percent in the second half, the Norse secured the win behind their free throw shooting. NKU went 10-14 from the charity stripe in the second half, while the Spartans went just 4-11 from the free throw line.

The Norse were led by Lavone Holland II, whose 20 points led all Norse scorers in the game. Holland was 5-11 from the field, including going 2-4 from the three point line.

Drew McDonald had another outstanding game, scoring 18 points and grabbing 7 boards. Cole Murray contributed 15 points, hitting five three pointers on 12 attempts.

No other Norse player scored more than six points.

The Spartans had just two double digit scorers. Senior guard Jonathan Wade led all scorers with 21 points and recorded nine rebounds, while junior forward Jordan Butler scored 10 points on 5-6 shooting.

The Norse will return to BB&T Arena Dec. 7 to face Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m.. The game will be available on ESPN3.