By Jim Ellis / jellis@miaminewsrecord.com
Posted at 2:46 PM
MIAMI — After having Seminole State pull to within one at the start of the second half, Northeastern A&M kicked things into overdrive.
Back-to-back buckets by Samkelo Cele and Alvin Cannady III got the Norse rolling on a 41-26 spree that helped them break open Thursday night's OCAC opener, 73-57 at the NEO Field House.
"In the first half, they went to a zone against us and a little press against us and we had to make some adjustments," Norse coach Jeremy Jackson said. "We knew they were going to make a run and we were ready for their run."
The Norse led 32-29 at the break after Seminole used a 13-2 run down the stretch.
Two free throws by Nate Johnson shaved that down to one, but Cele and Cannady gave the Norse some separation as they pinned the first loss of the season on Seminole.
This was the second straight win for NEO, which is now 5-4.
"We have played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, four top 15 teams all on the road, which is not easy to do," Jackson said. "I knew these guys weren't going to see success right away. We are building brick-by-brick and it's going to be the end of the year for some of these guys and it might be next year for some of these guys.
"We just want to keep building. That is our daily goal, to get better every day."
Williams had his 28 points, with 14 of those coming during a second-half stretch that helped give the Norse a little breathing room.
"One thing I learned from my mentor, (former Norse coach) Dustin Grover, was that when you have a talented player, you go let him make plays," Jackson said. "He did. That put them in a zone and we made adjustments because we knew we were going to see it again."
Williams also had four rebounds and four assists.
"My assistants have recruited a lot of talented young men who can come in and make plays," Jackson said. "Tonight, it was Rudi Williams. He came in during that second half and he literally took the game over."
Cele had his fifth double-double of the season, contributing 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Gavin Harris also was in double figures with 12 points.
The Norse face 17th-ranked Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa Monday on the road then travel to the Three Rivers Thanksgiving Classic in Sedalia, Missouri, Thursday through Saturday.
They face Southern Arkansas University Tech Thursday, Roane (Nebraska) State Friday and host Three Rivers Saturday.
