Norfolk State turns away Savannah State 57-47

Published Mar. 13, 2014 11:22 p.m. ET

foxsports

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) Pendarvis Williams scored 20 points and fourth-seeded Norfolk State took down No. 5 seed Savannah State 57-47 Thursday in a quarterfinal matchup of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.

Norfolk State (19-13) advanced to play top-seed North Carolina Central on Friday in the semifinal round.

The Spartans outscored Savannah State (13-19) 33-24 in the second half after leading by a point at halftime. Leading 33-32 with 12:35 remaining, Norfolk State put together a 13-0 run, led by six points from Williams during the spurt.

Savannah State cut the lead to 50-44 with 1:46 left, but the Spartans made 5 of 6 from the free-throw line down the stretch to preserve the win.

Brandon Goode added 10 points for Norfolk State. Malcolm Hawkins, averaging 21.3 points in his last three games, was held to one point.

Jyles Smith led Savannah State with 15 points. Deven Williams added 10.