NORFOLK, Va. – A dominant second half sparked Norfolk State to its fourth straight win, 60-40, over South Carolina State, giving the Spartans sole possession of first place in the MEAC.
 
The Spartans (8-7, 4-0 MEAC) outscored the Lady Bulldogs (3-15, 3-1 MEAC) by 21 in the final two quarters to hand SCSU its first loss in conference play. Deja Francis paced NSU with a performance that stuffed all aspects of the stat sheet, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and five steals.
 
You couldn't tell by the final score, but the Spartans started off slow. NSU couldn't get a shot to fall early, scoring its first field goal over six minutes into the game off of a Mahoganie Williams layup. However, the Spartans remained diligent on the defensive end, holding the Lady Bulldogs to nine first quarter points on 4-17 shooting.
 
Despite the offensive struggles, NSU led 11-9 at the end of the first quarter thanks to six points from Francis, but the Lady Bulldogs found their footing in the next period and retook control. Nicole Gwynn hit two 3-pointers as part of 8-0 run that put SCSU up 19-13. Janay Turner and Crystal White responded with two threes of their own in the next two minutes, trimming the deficit. SCSU took a 1-point lead into the half.
 
The Spartans controlled the final 20 minutes to cement the victory. Williams got things going with a two quick buckets, but Nadia Reese kept SCSU in the mix with a much-needed 3-pointer. Turner continued her hot night from deep, hitting three 3-pointers in a span of 1 minute and five seconds. The outside barrage gave NSU a 35-27 lead, and the Spartans would only increase the cushion from there.
 
"I thought [Turner] did a good job in the second half of shooting the basketball, spreading the floor for us," NSU head coach Larry Vickers told 91.1 FM after the win. "Teams show us a zone, she's our zone killer."
 
NSU went to the fourth quarter ahead by 12, after outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 19-6 in the third frame. Williams, Francis, Turner, and Camille Downs accounted for all the Spartan points in the last period, with Francis scoring six straight for her squad in the final minutes.
 
Francis continued her strong start to conference play, scoring over 20 points for the third straight game. Her five steals marked a new career high. Downs added five steals of her own, giving her 15 swipes in her last two games. Williams reinserted herself as one of the MEAC's best rim protectors, rejecting four of the Lady Bulldogs shot attempts.
 
Turner had a breakthrough day of sorts, posting career highs in points (14), minutes (23), 3-point field goals made (4), and field goals made (4).
 
NSU held the Lady Bulldogs to 28 percent shooting (14 of 58) and 19 percent on 3-pointers (5 of 26). SCSU's 40 points is the fewest allowed by the Spartans since Nov. 13 2018, when they beat Cheyney 93-40.
 
The Spartans return to action on Saturday, Feb. 5, to host Delaware State. The game was rescheduled from Jan. 10.