image via Nick Sutton
Courtesy of Noah Schlekeway, Assistant SID, Norfolk State Athletics
The Norfolk State women’s basketball team punched its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament with a 68-56 win over Howard in the MEAC Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Kierra Wheeler led the Spartans with 19 points, adding seven rebounds, six blocks, and four steals, while Diamond Johnson tallied 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Wheeler was named MEAC Most Outstanding Player while head coach Larry Vickers earned Most Outstanding Coach honors.
Norfolk State started off strong, opening the championship game on an 11-0 run behind five points from Johnson and four points from Wheeler. Kaiya Creek cut the NSU advantage back down to single digits, draining a 3-pointer.
Niya Fields sank three free throws, allowing the Spartans to go back up by 11. Howard put together a 6-0 run following the free throws, trimming the advantage down to four. Wheeler ended the first quarter with a lay in, giving NSU a 20-14 lead after one period.
Howard dominated the opening minutes of the second quarter, tying the game up at the free throw line. NSU ended its five and a half minute scoring drought with Da’Brya Clark sinking a pair of shots at the charity stripe.
NSU regained the lead with just over a minute to play before the break as Clark nailed a 3-pointer from way outside the arc. The Spartans extended the advantage to five behind a Johnson lay in as NSU took a 29-26 edge into halftime.
Back-to-back jumpers from Wheeler allowed NSU to gain early momentum in the second half. Howard cut the lead to three points with a Zennia Thomas lay in, before the Spartans went on a 7-0 run.
The two teams played strong defense over the next four minutes of the third quarter, with neither team scoring a basket. Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to end the scoring drought, while Clark drained a mid-range jumper to put the Spartans up by 13 heading into the final period.
Da’naijah Williams converted an and-one for the Spartans to open the fourth quarter. Wheeler took over the contest from there, scoring seven points in two minutes to give NSU its largest lead of game. The Bison wouldn’t go away easy, going on a 7-0 run of their own before Clark shifted the momentum back with a 3-pointer.
Howard cut the lead down to just seven points with 2:53 left to play in the championship game, but NSU went on a 6-0 run to secure its third consecutive MEAC title.
Checking the Box Score
- Kierra Wheeler led NSU with 19 points, adding seven rebounds, six blocks, four steals
- Diamond Johnson (16) and Anjanae Richardson (10) also scored in double-figures
- Norfolk State dominated the paint, scoring 34 points to Howard’s 16 points
- NSU shot 9-of-14 in the fourth quarter (64.3 percent)
- Saturday’s game featured two lead changes and two ties
- The Spartans outscored the Bison in second chance points 16-8
News & Notes
- Norfolk State won its third consecutive MEAC Women’s basketball tournament title, securing the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in the process
- The achievement marked NSU’s fourth MEAC Tournament title in the school’s history
- Kierra Wheeler earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award
- Head Coach Larry Vickers was named MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach for the third time in his career
- NSU improved to 30-4 with the win
- Norfolk State reached 30 wins for just the second time in school history and first in the program’s Division I era
- Howard fell to 21-11 with the loss
- Howard now leads the all-time series between the schools 38-27
Up Next
With the MEAC Championship win, Norfolk State has clinched the MEAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show takes place on Sunday, Mar. 16 at 8 p.m
