DATE: Thursday, February 27, 1997           TAG: 9702270676

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.               LENGTH:   69 lines

SPARTANS COAST IN TOURNEY OPENER NORFOLK STATE POUNCES ON SHAW EARLY EN ROUTE TO AN EASY WIN.

Norfolk State opened defense of its CIAA tournament title in record-setting fashion Wednesday afternoon.

The Spartans established a season high and tied a school tournament record for points scored in a 101-79 preliminary round victory over Shaw before a crowd of 3,497 at Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum. The 1975-76 Spartans defeated Johnson C. Smith 101-82 en route to a title game victory over Winston-Salem State. NSU (17-9) plays the winner of Wednesday's late St. Augustine's-Shaw game today at 1 p.m. in the first quarterfinal.

``There is no better way to start a tournament,'' said NSU forward Tajai Young, who led the Spartans with 19 points.

And from the start, Norfolk State gave Shaw (11-17) little opportunity to disrupt the Spartans' plans of advancing.

NSU took a 19-8 lead following Rodney Carmichael's steal and layup with 13:32 left in the first half.

Carmichael, who leads the Spartans in scoring and rebounding, had the early touch for NSU. He scored eight of his 14 points in the opening 6:32 - six points inside the paint, where NSU dominated, and the other two from the line. Carmichael also finished with five assists.

Yet, he was not alone in taking Shaw to the hole.

Thirteen of Norfolk State's first 19 points came from either inside or at the foul line. And even after Shaw's Amere May, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward, checked in, NSU did not stop penetrating.

Norfolk State's Maurice Whitfield, picking up where Carmichael left off, scored 11 of his 13 first-half points in the final 12:07. And as a team, the Spartans mixed in a couple of 3-point baskets with two dunks and a plethora of other inside scores late for a 47-32 halftime lead.

``We just didn't get back on rotations,'' Shaw coach Keith Walker said. ``They just seemed to get the ball inside at will sometime.''

In the opening half, NSU could find very little to be disappointed about.

The Spartans shot 68 percent (17 of 25), had 10 steals and hit 79 percent (11 for 14) of their free throws.

Yet, nothing escapes a coach.

``In the first half, we were out-rebounded 14-12,'' NSU coach Mike Bernard said.

Even then, he acknowledged a discrepancy in the number: ``It may have been misleading because we shot the ball very well from the field.''

The Spartans were very limiting in rebound opportunities. Only one of the Spartans, reserve guard Dion Woods, shot less than 50 percent in the half.

The key for Bernard then was maintaining the first-half intensity. NSU alleviated that worry quickly.

Shaw cut the deficit to 50-38 with 17:19. May, who scored 19 for Shaw, managed to get inside for three consecutive layups early, but the Bears could not maintain pressure.

The Spartans increased the margin to 72-48 with 9:48 remaining and led by at least 16 the rest of the way.

``Going into the tournament we lost three of our last four ballgames, but the irony is that we played our best basketball of the season,'' Bernard said.

The Spartans shot 68 percent (38 of 56) for the game, 72 percent from the line (21 for 29) and, most importantly, held Shaw to just two 3-pointers. ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Norfolk State's Maurice Whitfield gets fouled while going to the

hoop - which the Spartans did repeatedly - during a win over Shaw

Wednesday.

LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Norfolk State's Maurice Howell, right, applies the pressure to

Shaw's James Spears during the Spartans' CIAA tournament win

Wednesday.

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