The Norfolk State women's basketball team (10-8, 6-1 MEAC) returns to Echols Hall after two road trips to host Maryland Eastern Shore (7-13, 3-5) on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Spartans will then hit the highway again for an away matchup at Delaware State (0-15, 0-6) on Monday at 5:30 p.m. Monday evening's contest at Memorial Hall in Dover, Del. will mark the Spartans' fifth game in 10 days.

NSU's home meeting will be streamed on the Spartan Showcase at NSUSpartans.com/Watch, and both games will be broadcast on 91.1 FM.
The Spartans have a sense of familiarity with both of their upcoming opponents, having played each of them in the past seven days. NSU crushed Delaware State 102-36 last Saturday and squeezed out a 53-48 victory at MDES on Monday.

Last Time Out

The Spartans' six-game win streak came to an end as the team fell 71-67 at Howard on Thursday, its first loss in nearly two months. The Spartans started the game behind but surged ahead with a commanding third quarter. The Bison outscored NSU 26-17 in the fourth quarter, however, to hand the Spartans their first loss of conference play.

Camille Downs paced NSU with 19 points, making 8-of-11 attempts at the free throw line. Mahoganie Williams scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Deja Francis added 13 points and five assists.

Scouting the Hawks and Hornets

MDES has won games from a well-balanced distribution of scoring. The Hawks put up the second-most points per game of MEAC teams (63.3), despite none of their players averaging in double figures. Brooklyn Bailey and Amanda Carney lead the Hawks with 7.7 and 7.6 points per game.

Delaware State has struggled with injuries all season, only having six players available in its matchup with NSU last Saturday. The Hornets are led by Alexis Moragne's 9.7 points and 2.1 assists per game.

All-Time Series / Last Meeting

NSU holds a 28-17 edge over MDES in the all-time series, winning five of the last six matchups between the schools. DSU and NSU have had a historically tight series, with the Spartans leading 25-24 after taking the first matchup of the season last week.  

The Spartans broke multiple records in their 66-point victory against DSU last week, NSU's largest margin of victory against a MEAC opponent ever. NSU knocked down 15 triples, the single game most in program history. Niya Fields led the way with five 3-pointers, while Downs added an efficient 22 points, eight steals, seven rebounds and seven assists in just under 22 minutes of playing time.

NSU started slow against MDES on Monday, trailing 14-4 in the first quarter before a 10-0 run evened things up at the end of the period. The teams went back-and-forth the rest of the night, until the Spartans established a consistent lead in the fourth quarter. Even then, it took an amazing night at the free throw line from Deja Francis (11-of-12) to put the Hawks away.

NSU/MDES/DSU Tip-ins

• Francis has taken the MEAC by storm this year. She's averaging a league-best 19.4 points per game in conference play and shooting a league-best 80.9% at the free throw line this season.
• Fields and Francis have facilitated the Spartans' offensive with 2.9 and 2.8 assists per game, respectively. The pair rank fourth and fifth in the conference in that category, with the Spartans averaging 10.06 assists per game as a team.
• Mahoganie Williams, standing at 6-1, has thwarted opponents at the rim all season. Her 2.4 blocks per game lead the MEAC by a wide margin, with South Carolina State's Briauna Thompson next in line at 1.5.
• With Williams locking down the paint, Downs has controlled the passing lanes. She's averaging a conference-best 3.2 steals per game and owns three of the four highest single-game steal totals of MEAC players this year (10 vs. Morgan State, eight vs Delaware State, and six vs. Old Dominion).
• NSU has buried opponents from deep all season, shooting a conference-best 29.8 percent on 3-pointers. Downs leads the team from beyond the arc, shooting at a 35.1 percent clip.
• Norfolk State was picked to finish third in the MEAC preseason poll. MDES was projected fifth, and Delaware State seventh.
• Armani Franklin was the sole Spartan to earn MEAC preseason honors, voted onto the second team. DSU's Janasia Law and MDES veterans Bailey and Bairesha Gill-Miles were chosen for third team.