NASHVILLE ­– The Tennessee State men's basketball team fell to Norfolk State, 66-59, in the Gateway HBCU Invitational.
 
FIRST HALF | Carlos Marshall Jr. drained a three-pointer to begin the contest and the Tigers opened up a five-point lead to start the game. At the 10:16 mark, Jalen Dupree extended the TSU lead to 19-14 with a layup, his second bucket in the opening ten minutes. Over the next six minutes, the Spartans went on a 15-2 run as nine points came from the free-throw line. NSU extended the lead to 31-21 before the Tigers registered consecutive baskets to trim the lead. Joe Bryant Jr. led Norfolk State with 12 points in the first half, shooting 6-for-6 from the line. In total, the Spartans went 12-12 from the charity stripe in the opening stanza. For TSU, Marshall Jr. tallied 10 points and two steals in the first half of action. || NSU, 33-25
 
SECOND HALF | With 12:49 remaining, Norfolk State increased the lead to 16 points, 47-31. However, the Tigers fought back after Dedric Boyd got the momentum started with a three-pointer. Over the final 12 minutes, Boyd led the team with 14 points as the Illinois State transfer totaled 16 points for the game. With 9:06 remaining, Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. drew a charge to heighten the Tigers' intensity on the defensive end. TSU forced three straight turnovers as they cut the deficit to six, 49-43. Tennessee State could not close the gap over the final eight minutes, despite battling until the end. || NSU, 66-59

INSIDE THE STATS

• Marshall Jr. registered a team-high 17 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field, 3-for-4 from the three-point line.
• Boyd registered consecutive games with at least 16 points, as he went 4-for-8 from long range.
• Christian Brown, a transfer from Georgia, was one of three players to score in double-figures.
• Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. dished out a game-high six assists, more than Norfolk State's entire team as they totaled four assists for the contest.
• NSU's Joe Bryant Jr. scored 28 points, two shy of his career-high, going 16-for-16 from the free-throw line.
• The Spartans' Cahiem Brown led the team with six steals and tallied 17 points.
• In large part to Bryant Jr., Norfolk State converted 26-of-34 (76.5%) from the charity stripe while TSU went to the line 20 times and cashed in 9-of-20 (45.0%).

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Fitzgerald Jr., a two-year player for TSU, set a career-high with six assists.
• Preseason All-OVC selection, Marshall Jr., swiped a career-high four steals.  
• The Tigers have seven transfers on the roster, six from Division I programs, as well as three true freshmen.

UP NEXT: Tennessee State will take on Fisk University, Tuesday at 7:00pm, at the Gentry Center for the home opener.