NORFOLK, Va. -- The Norfolk State women's basketball team is coming off a loss to the first-place Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman, but are looking to send their seniors out in style on Saturday for Senior night against the Howard Bison. It will be the last home game of the season with the tipoff at 4 p.m. Six seniors of the Norfolk State women's basketball team will be honored Saturday, playing in their final home game of their careers. Following Senior Night, the Spartans travel to Dover on Monday to take on the Delaware State Hornets at 5:30 p.m.
 
The Seniors
#2 Danyael Goodhope
Goodhope is in her second year at NSU and has played in 43 games. She has averaged 4 points and 1.4 steals during her time as a Spartan. As a junior, she scored a career-high 12 points against Coppin State and was awarded the MEAC's Co-Defensive Player of the Week following a five-steal performance in a win over Bethune-Cookman.
 
#30 De'Janaire Deas
Deas is an accounting major who has spent four years at NSU, appearing in 107 games. Deas has averaged 3.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in her career, and is 17th all time in NSU's record book with 68 blocks. Her 46.8 percent field goal percentage last season ranked 11th in school single-season history. As a junior, she scored a career-high 14 points against Navy and was named the team's most improved player.
 
#15 Dana Echols
Echols has spent two years at NSU, appearing in 58 game with 49 starts. Echols averages 4.2 points per game while dishing out 3.3 assists per game during her career. As a junior, Echols averaged 4.7 assists per game, ranking 2nd in the conference and the second-most in a single season in NSU's Division I history. She also earned MEAC All-Tournament Team honors after helping NSU to the tournament final.
 
#25 Mikaela Jones
Jones is in her first season playing for the Spartans and has started all 26 games. She is fourth on the team this season in scoring, at 7.2 points per game, and second in rebounding at 5.9 per game. Jones recorded a double-double against South Carolina State this season, scoring 10 points and snagging 11 rebounds, and scored a career-high 15 points at Richmond.
 
#12 Chanette Hicks
Hicks has won six MEAC Player of the Week and six MEAC Defensive Player of the Week honors this season. She currently ranks in the top 10 in the country in scoring, assists, and field-goals made while leading the MEAC in all three categories.  Her 4.9 steals per game is on pace to pass NSU's single season record set 30 years ago and she can still surpass single-season Division I school records for scoring and field goals made. Among her many accolades, Hicks was also named to the Dawn Staley Award Midseason watch list, which recognizes the most outstanding guard in Division I women's basketball.
 
#10 La'Deja James
James has been at NSU for 2 seasons, appearing in 47 games. She was a MEAC All-Tournament Team selection last season, when she led the team in scoring. James is averaging 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2 steals per game. She has scored in double-figures 19 times this season, including a career-high 36 points in a win at North Carolina Central, which earned her HBCU National Player of the Week honors. Tonight, James is also receiving a commemorative basketball to recognize her scoring more than 1,000 combined points in her collegiate career at NSU and junior college.
 
Series History vs. Howard
This will be the 51st meeting between the two teams, and the ninth meeting during coach Vickers' tenure.
 
Howard (14-12, 6-7 MEAC) holds a 33-17 series advantage over the Spartans (16-10, 10-3 MEAC), with majority of the damage coming from 11 straight wins from the 2008-09 season to the 2013-14 season. The Spartans have shifted the power of the rivalry as of late, winning eight of the last 11 games against Howard.
 
The Spartans defeated the Bison 83-80 in a thriller up in Washington D.C. earlier this season. Chanette Hicks dropped 30 points in that matchup.
 
A Win over the Bison Would...
Make it four wins a row against the Bison.
 
Give the Spartan seniors and fans a win in the last home game of the season.
 
Scouting The Bison
Offensively, the Bison are as talented as any team in the MEAC. They had four players that were named to the MEAC preseason teams, and three of them are averaging at least 13 points per game.

Jayla Thornton is the Bison's leading scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game. Thornton was voted to the All-MEAC Preseason Second team prior to the start of the season.
 
Sarah Edmond was selected to the All-MEAC Preseason First Team after leading the Bison with 15.5 points and a MEAC Second Team selection last season. She is currently second on the team with 13.7 points per game, and leads the Bison with 3.8 assists per game.
 
Ayonna Williams rounds out the leading scorers for the Bison, with 13.3 points per game. Williams was also a MEAC Preseason Second Team selection.
 
Series History vs. Delaware State
This will be the 48th time these two teams have met since 1980, and will be the eighth time in the Larry Vickers' era. The series has been very even, with the Hornets holding a slight 24-23 series advantage over the Spartans.

The Spartans defeated the Hornets in an overtime thriller in the last matchup between these two teams. Cam Platt-Morris sank a clutch game-tying three-pointer with five seconds left in regulation, propelling the Spartans to a 65-57 win.

Scouting the Hornets
The Hornets are paced by Sharajah Collins, who leads the team with 12.6 points per game, 2.2 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game.

Lyric Turner is the Hornets' second leading scorer with 10.6 points per game. She is the main deep threat for DSU, going 50-of-170 from deep for a 29.4% three-point field goal percentage.

Lanayjha Ashe is the third leading scorer for DSU, averaging 9.4 points per game. Ashe also provides another deep threat for the Hornets, going 35-of-105 to convert 33.3% of her three-point shots.

Tierra Floyd is the Hornets' fourth leading scorer with 8.8 points per game, while leading the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
 
The Fab Five
Chanette Hicks leads the Spartans with 20.4 points per game, 5.0 assists per game and 4.9 steals per game. She leads the MEAC in all three of those categories, and is top 10 in the country in scoring (9th) and  steals per game (2nd).
 
La'Deja James completes the Spartans 1-2 punch, averaging 14.4 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. James went off for a career-high 36 points against N.C. Central, which now sits second in NSU's DI record-book for the most points in a single game.
 
Blaire Thomas is the third leading scorer for the Spartans, averaging 9.8 points per game. Thomas is heating up as of late. She averaged eight points in the first 14 games, but that number has jumped up to 12.4 points per game in the last 10 outings.
 
Mikaela Jones leads the Spartans in blocks, totaling 30 on the season for 1.3 blocks per game. Jones is averaging 7.2 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game. She had her first double-double of the season against S.C. State, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Dana Echols returned to the starting lineup for the Spartans against Coppin State, scoring a season-high eight points to go along with another season-high eight rebounds. Echols is third on the team in assists, averaging 1.7 per game.

1-2 Punch
The Spartans have the top two conference scorers in Hicks (18.4 ppg) and James (18. 2 ppg). Hicks has scored at least 30 points three times this season, and James has a 30-point game and three 20-point games.  

Spartans That Earned Weekly Honors
Hicks is stealing the limelight in the MEAC this season, winning Player or Co-Player of the Week six out of the 14 times this season. James claimed the award two weeks ago following a 27-point performance against Delaware State. 

Hicks has also won MEAC Defensive player of the week six times, winning both awards more than any other MEAC player this season. 

Hicks became the sixth different Spartan to earn defensive player of the week honors since the start of the 2016-17 season. In that span, a NSU player has collected the award a total of 22 times.

Cam Platt-Morris is another Spartan that has earned a weekly MEAC award, winning Rookie of the Week following a 14 point performance against Delaware State. 

Best 10-Game Start
The Spartans fell short of a historic 7-0 start against N.C. A&T which would have been NSU's best start since joining the MEAC. With a win over Morgan State on Feb. 15,  the Spartans 9-1 conference record marked heir best 10-game start since joining the MEAC.
 
NSU By the Numbers
406- Hicks' number of career steals, which is second among active players.
 
20.8 - Average number of points off turnovers the Spartans score per game.
 
1 & 2  - NSU has the top two scorers during conference play, with Hicks' 18.4 ppg and La'Deja James' 18.2 ppg.
 
199 - How many field goals Hicks has made so far this season, which ranks ninth in the country.
 
+5.38 - The Spartans turnover margin, which ranks 19th in the country.
 
2 - The number of steals Armani Franklin averages per game, which ranks fifth in the MEAC.
 

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