Pitt scores 24, Norfolk defeats UTEP in Sun Bowl tourney
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Mastadi Pitt scored 24 points and Norfolk State pulled away in the second half to defeat UTEP 75-62 at the Sun Bowl Invitational on Friday night.
Pitt made 4 of 5 3-pointers, 7 of 9 from the field overall, and 6 of 7 free throws. Derrik Jamerson added 13 points and C.J. Kelly scored 10 points for the Spartans (5-8).
Evan Gilyard led the Miners (4-6) with 20 points, Efe Odigie added 18 points and Paul Thomas grabbed 17 rebounds. UTEP led 40-23 on the boards.
The Spartans led 34-32 with 15:56 remaining in the second half and pushed their advantage to 10 points two minutes later. The lead was 57-43 with eight minutes remaining and peaked at 64-46 with 6:53 to go. The margin stayed in double digits for the remainder of the game.
Norfolk will play East Tennessee State (9-4) in the championship game on Saturday. ETSU defeated Wyoming 76-53 on Friday night.
