Spartans, Bison Set to Battle in Nation's Capital

Norfolk, Va. – Norfolk State plays its third game in six days on Thursday when it travels to Washington D.C. to face Howard University at 5:30 p.m. The matchup between two of the top three teams in the MEAC will take place at Burr Gymnasium and be broadcast on 91.1 FM.

The showdown will not only have a significant impact on the conference standings, but presents a revenge opportunity for the Spartans, after Howard ended their season in the MEAC tournament semifinals last year, 50-44.

NSU (10-7, 6-0 MEAC) comes into Thursday's matchup riding a six-game winning streak, with the Bison (11-8, 5-2 MEAC) tied for second in the conference after an 83-49 win over Delaware State on Monday.

Last Time Out

The Spartans survived a defensive battle on the road Monday, beating Maryland Eastern Shore 53-48 behind a strong performance at the free throw line. Deja Francis, who led all scorers with 13 points, shot 11-of-12 (93.7 percent) at the charity stripe, making four in the final ten seconds of the game.

Foul trouble plagued NSU all night, with Camille Downs and Niya Fields fouling out of the game within ten seconds of each other late in the fourth quarter. With those starters playing limited minutes, Janay Turner stepped up for the Spartans, hitting a trio of 3-pointers off the bench.

Scouting the Bison

Ty Grace, the 2020-21 MEAC Coach of the Year, is in her sixth season as the head coach of Howard women's basketball.  Grace led her team to the MEAC tournament final last year, going 10-2 in the conference.

Destiny Howell and Anzhane' Hutton shoulder the primary scoring load for the Bison, averaging 12.6 and 10.8 points per game, respectively. Hutton also cleans up on the glass, grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game.

Howell led all scorers with 23 points in just 19 minutes against Delaware State on Monday, while Vanessa Udoji added 14 points off the bench.

All-Time Series / Last Meeting

Howard leads the all-time series between the schools 33-19, but NSU has won five of the last six meetings.

The teams didn't meet during the shortened COVID-19 regular season last year but clashed in the MEAC tournament semifinal. Howard started the game up 16-4, escaping with a win after the Spartans came back in the second half. Iyanna Warren led the Bison with 18 points and five assists.

More MEAC Honors for Downs

Downs added another award to her resumé on Tuesday when she was named MEAC Co-Player of the Week alongside North Carolina Central's Tianna Carter. The recognition comes after two standout performances against Delaware State on Saturday and MDES on Monday, where Downs averaged 5.5 steals per game and 6.5 rebounds per game.  
 
The announcement marked the fifth time in the 13-week season Downs has received one of the MEAC honors, and the third for her defensive prowess. She was Co-Player of the Week in Week 6, Player of the Week in Week 9, and Defensive Player of the Week for Weeks 5 and 11.
 
NSU vs Howard Tip-ins

• Francis has taken the MEAC by storm this year. She's averaging a league-best 20.5 points per game during conference play, and shooting a league-best 81.6% from the free throw line for the season.
• Niya Fields has facilitated the Spartans' offense with 3.0 assists per game, with Francis close behind at 2.7. Fields 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, 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 last week. The Spartans rank first in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (29.6%), making 5.4 per game. Downs leads the team from beyond the arc, shooting at a 35.1% clip.
• Norfolk State was picked to finish third in the MEAC preseason poll. Howard was projected first.
• Armani Franklin was the sole Spartan to earn MEAC preseason honors, voted onto the second team. Howard had three players selected: Hutton to first team, with Kaiya Creek and Iyanna Warren to second team.
• Howard and NSU both distribute the ball with ease, averaging 12.43 and 11.33 assists per game, respectively. On the defensive end, the teams rank first and second in the MEAC in steals per game: Norfolk State averages 16.17 takeaways, while Howard averages 10.14.