Coming off one of its largest blowout wins in school history on Saturday, the Norfolk State women's basketball team heads north for a MEAC showdown at Maryland Eastern Shore. The Spartans and Hawks meet at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at Hytche Arena, and it will be broadcast on 91.1 F.M.
 
The game was originally set for Jan. 17, but was rescheduled due to COVID protocols within the MDES program. The teams did not meet last year during the COVID-19 shortened season.
 
NSU comes into Monday's matchup riding a five-game win streak, and a perfect 5-0 conference record. The only unbeaten team in MEAC play, the Spartans have a 9-7 record overall. MDES is 6-12 overall and 2-4 in the conference, fresh off a road win at Howard on Saturday, 66-59.
 
Last Time Out
 
NSU enjoyed a record-setting afternoon at home against Delaware State on Saturday. The Spartans beat the Hornets by 66 points, 102-36, the largest winning margin against a MEAC opponent in NSU's history.
 
NSU also set a new program high for 3-pointers made in a single game, sinking 15 long balls. Niya Fields led the way with five 3-pointers, Camille Downs and Janay Turner added four each, and Crystal White knocked down a pair as well.
 
Downs did a lot of work in a short amount of time. The senior guard recorded 22 points, eight steals, seven assists, and seven rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Deja Francis added 21 points and seven assists on 9-of-16 shooting.
 
Scouting the Eagles
 
Brooklyn Bailey and Amanda Carney lead the Hawks' offense, averaging 7.6 and 7.4 points per game, respectively. Opponents pay when they leave those two open: Carney (29.4) and Bailey (25.7) both rank among the conference's top ten players in 3-point field goal percentage.
 
Ariana Seawell surged the Eagles to victory against Howard on Saturday, recording 20 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Seawell also made six of her eight free throws on the night.  
 
All-Time Series / Last Meeting
 
Norfolk State and Maryland Eastern Shore have met 44 times, with NSU leading the all-time series 27-17. The Spartans have won four of their last five games against MDES.
 
The teams last squared off on Jan. 18, 2020. Chanette Hicks and La'Deja James led the Spartans to a 68-45 victory, scoring 17 points each. Hicks added six assists that game on the way to winning MEAC Player of the Year and MEAC Defensive Player of the Year.
 
NSU vs UMES Tip-Ins

• Francis extended her 20-point streak to four games on Saturday, continuing her dominant stretch. She's averaging a league-best 22.0 points per game in MEAC play, and shooting a league-best 80 percent from the free throw line this season.
• Niya Fields has facilitated the Spartans' offense with 3.0 assists per game. She ranks fourth in the conference in that category, and first in assist to turnover ratio (1.5).
• Mahoganie Williams, standing at 6-1, has thwarted opponents at the rim all season. Her 2.6 blocks per game leads 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, Camille 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, adding to their strong numbers with its record-setting shooting night against Delaware State. The Spartans rank first in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (30.0%), making 5.3 per game. UMES allows the highest 3-point field goal percentage in the league (33.9%).
• Norfolk State was picked to finish third in the MEAC preseason poll. MDES was projected fifth.
• Armani Franklin was the sole Spartan to earn MEAC preseason honors, voted onto the second team. Two MDES players, Bailey and Bairesha Gill-Miles were selected to the third team.
• MDES cleans up the glass diligently night in and night out. The Hawks average 40.2 rebounds per game, the most of any MEAC team. 15.1 of their rebounds per game come on the offensive end.