Norfolk, Va. – The Norfolk State women's basketball team looks to bounce back from a pair of losses in Baltimore, returning home this weekend for a matchup with South Carolina State at 4 p.m. on Saturday and North Carolina Central at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Both games will be streamed on the Spartan Showcase and broadcast on 91.1 FM.

This weekend will be NSU's second meeting with both SCSU and NCCU, winning the road matchups with the schools in January.

NSU (12-10, 8-3 MEAC) entered last weekend's road trip with a slim lead in the conference standings, but two straight losses have dropped the Spartans into a three-way tie for second place with Morgan State and Coppin State. South Carolina State (4-21, 4-7 MEAC) and North Carolina Central (4-17, 2-9) sit at 6^th and 7^th place, respectively.

Last Time Out

Morgan State came back in the fourth quarter to edge out a 51-48 win over NSU on Monday, the Spartans' 10^th loss of the season. Janay Turner, who knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter, finished with a team-high 11 points, while Mahoganie Williams added 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Scouting the Bulldogs and Eagles

Nicole Gwynn and Trinity Klock lead SCSU in scoring with 11.2 and 9.7 points per game, respectively. Klock cleans up the glass with determination, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game, adding 1.6 blocks per contest as well.
SCSU received boosts throughout the lineup in a 64-52 win over Delaware State on Monday for the Lady Bulldogs' home finale. Senior Jayah Hicks led the team with 16 points, Victoria Jordan grabbed eight rebounds, and Nadia Reese dished out seven assists.

North Carolina Central's Diamond Thomas has emerged as one of the prolific scorers in the MEAC. Her 14.1 points per game ranks second in the conference, scoring 23 in the Eagles' loss to Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday.

Tianna Carter leads the Eagles with 7.4 rebounds per game, third-most in the conference. She put up two separate 13-rebound performances last week against Coppin State and Delaware State.

NSU vs. SCSU/NCCU Tip-Ins

• Deja Francis has taken the MEAC by storm this year. She's averaging a league-best 16.4 points per game in conference play and shooting a league-best 80.2% at the free throw line this season.
• Niya Fields and Francis have facilitated the Spartans' offensive with 3.3 and 2.8 assists per game, respectively. The pair second and fifth in the conference in that category, with the Spartans averaging 10.73 assists per game as a team.
• Williams, standing at 6-1, has thwarted opponents at the rim all season. Her 2.5 blocks per game lead the MEAC by a wide margin, with South Carolina State's Klock and Thompson next in line at 1.6 and 1.2, respectively.
• With Williams locking down the paint, Camille Downs has controlled the passing lanes. She's averaging a conference-best 3.1 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 29.1 percent on 3-pointers. Downs and Turner lead the team from beyond the arc, shooting at a 31.1 and 30.7 percent clip, respectively.
• Norfolk State was picked to finish third in the MEAC preseason poll. NCCU was projected fourth, and SCSU eighth.
• Armani Franklin was the sole Spartan to earn MEAC preseason honors, voted onto the second team. SCSU's Klock was selected second team, and NCCU's Necole Hope third team.