Postgame Press Conference

NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State's postseason run came to an end on Saturday evening with a 57-45 loss to Bethune-Cookman in the championship game of the MEAC Tournament inside Scope Arena. The Spartans (17-15) led by six at the break but were outscored 40-22 in the second half.
 
After shooting better than 40 percent from the floor across its first two tournament games, Norfolk State managed just 16-of-58 (27.6 percent) in the final. La'Deja James made half of her shots as part of a game-high 18-point performance with three steals.
 
James averaged 18 points and 2.3 steals on 53.1-percent shooting in her three tournament appearances en route to a selection on the all-tournament team.
 
Angel Golden matched James point-for-point, finishing with 18 and a pair of 3-pointers. She was joined in double figures by Amaya Scott (12) and Camary Harris (10).
 
Dana Echols turned in her third-consecutive game with 10 or more points and had 11 along with four rebounds, three treys and three assists. The junior from Auburn, Alabama made seven of her nine attempts from long range in the tournament and was also named to the all-tournament team.
 
A low-scoring first quarter saw NSU lead the Lady Wildcats (21-10), 10-6. Neither side shot above 20 percent in the period, but the Spartans played mistake-free basketball to take the lead.
 
The Spartans managed only 45 points despite committing a season-low eight turnovers. NSU had not turned it over fewer than 10 times in a game since a 54-44 loss at Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 20, 2017, 64 games ago.
 
James netted the last four points of the quarter to break a six-all deadlock with 2:19 remaining. The redshirt-junior had six in the frame and scored 10-straight for the Spartans across the first and second quarters.
 
Norfolk State built its largest lead of the game in the second, but a 3-point basket from Golden at the halftime horn gave B-CU momentum to kickstart its second-half surge.
 
James answered a Golden layup with a step-back trey from behind the NBA 3-point arc painted on the floor of Scope Arena before knocking down two free throws and hitting a layup to put the Spartans ahead 17-11 with 3:48 remaining.
 
De'Janaire Deas took the baton from James, scoring four points for NSU inside the last 62 seconds. Her layup with 15 seconds left gave the Spartans a 23-14 lead – their largest of the game – before Golden's long-range jumper at the buzzer.
 
Deas finished the game with five points, six rebounds and a block.
 
B-CU shot nearly 42 percentage points better in the second half, making 15 of its 24 attempts from the field (62.5 percent).
 
The Lady Wildcats outscored NSU 19-10 in the third quarter, making 53.8 percent of their shots in the process.
 
James struck first 20 seconds into the half, but a 14-3 B-CU run gave the Lady Wildcats a 31-28 edge with 3:52 to go. An old-school three-point play by Scott gave Bethune-Cookman a lead it would not relinquish, 29-28, with 4:22 left in the quarter.
 
Echols cut the lead to one with two of her eight points in the quarter on a jumper with 2:50 remaining then tied the game at 33-33 with a trey inside of the final minute.
 
B-CU missed only three shots in the fourth quarter to see out the championship. Scott and Golden had seven apiece in the frame.
 
A 6-0 run gave the Lady Wildcats their first double-digit lead of the game, and B-CU led 48-36 with 6:14 to go. The Spartans managed to pull to within seven, 50-43, on the strength of layups from Kendrea Dawkins and Raven Russell and a 3-pointer from Echols, but Bethune-Cookman closed out the game on a 7-2 run.
 
Khadedra Croker made Saturday's game a historic one despite the loss. Her first blocked shot with 7:27 to go in the first gave her 152 in her NSU career and tied her with Kayla Roberts for the most in program history. Then, early in the third period, she rejected another shot to finish her career as the Spartans' all-time leading shot blocker.
 
Chasimmie Brown pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds for the Lady Wildcats, who outrebounded the Spartans 42-37.