NORFOLK, Va. --  Steven Whitley scored a career-high 20 points with seven assists, Nic Thomas also scored 20 points, and Norfolk State beat Morgan State 76-65 on Saturday to win its third straight.

Derrik Jamerson Jr. had 14 points for the Spartans (7-16, 5-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), who shot 55.6 percent from long distance (10 of 18) and 51 percent from the field. Thomas and Jamerson scored four 3s apiece.

Whitley's layup capped a 10-4 run for a 49-35 Norfolk State lead and the Spartans led by 17 on Jamerson's 3 with 12:31 to go. The Bears gained on a 9-2 run while the Spartans went without a field goal for nearly seven minutes, but trailed 74-65 on senior Tiwian Kendley's layup with 31 seconds to go and got no closer.

Preston Bungei's 3 put the Spartans up for good, 10-8, Thomas hit back-to-back 3s, and Norfolk State led 39-29 at halftime after shooting 61.5 percent from 3 (8 of 13).

Kendley scored 16 of his team-high 19 points (6-17 FG) in the second half. Freshman Kyson Rawls scored 11 points and junior Martez Cameron 10 for the Bears (8-14, 4-5), who've lost five of their last six.

Senior Phillip Carr added a game-high 16 rebounds but was held to just 3 points on 1-for-9 shooting from the field.