NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- It was a night of mixed results at Echols Hall to begin the 2026-2027 college basketball campaign.
The Norfolk State men rolled past Regent, 68-45, while the Spartan women were stunned by Virginia State, 63-62.
Robert Jones watched his squad jump out to a 35-15 halftime lead and cruise down the stretch for the victory. The Spartans swelled their lead to as many as 28 points and were never challenged during the contest against the Royals, who hail from Division III.
Bahsil Laster paced the green and gold with 18 points and seven rebounds, J.C. Riley added 12 points and Jordan Skyers chipped in 11 points.
The Norfolk State men are back in action Wednesday when they host Randolph at 8 p.m.
The Spartan women, meanwhile, found themselves playing from behind throughout their season opener against Division II Virginia State. The Trojans jumped out to the advantage from the start and led the entire first half, as Norfolk State went into halftime trailing 30-24.
That deficit swelled to 12 points in the third quarter, but the green and gold caught fire in the fourth. Alexis Davis scored four straight points to tie the game at 50 and then give the Spartans a 52-50 lead with 4:18 to play. The two teams traded punches down the stretch until they found themselves tied at 62 in the final seconds.
That's when Virginia State's Kendahl Spearman stepped to the free throw line and connected on the first of her two attempts, giving the Trojans the one point victory.
Norfolk State will be back in action Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. when District of Columbia visits Echols Hall.
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