Norfolk, Va. – Fresh off a dramatic win against Howard to clinch a share of the MEAC regular season title for the first time in program history, the Norfolk State women's basketball team enters the conference tournament hungry for its first MEAC championship since 2002.

 
Amidst a three-way tie for first place in the conference, NSU received the No. 2 seed for the upcoming MEAC tournament, ahead of Morgan State and behind Howard. Taking place in Norfolk, Va. at Scope Arena, the tournament will begin Wednesday, Mar. 9., with the champion crowned on Saturday, Mar. 12.
 
Norfolk State (15-10, 11-3 MEAC) faces a familiar foe in North Carolina Central (5-19, 3-11) on Wednesday, just over a week after the Spartans and Eagles last meeting. The game will be broadcast on 91.1 FM and televised on ESPN+.
 
Last Time Out
 
NSU earned its most important win of the season on Thursday, coming back from a 12-point second half deficit to take down Howard 62-58 at Echols Hall. The Spartans, led by Camille Downs' 19 points and five steals, snapped the Bison's six game win streak with a clutch fourth quarter.
 
Niya Fields only made two shots all day, but they may have been the two biggest shots of her season. Fields nailed a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to give the Spartans their first lead since the game's opening period. Then with the Spartans trailing by one and under two minutes remaining, Fields drilled another three, which turned out to be the winning points. She came up with a steal in the final thirty seconds as well, putting the game away.
 
The Spartans got a much-needed boost off the bench from Makoye Diawara. The freshman forward tied her career-high with 10 points on Wednesday, scoring eight of them in the second half, and emphatically snuffed Howard's go-ahead layup attempt with under a minute to play.
 
Downs Headlines Array of Spartans' MEAC Postseason Awards

Three NSU players landed on All-MEAC teams, which the conference released on Friday. Two Spartans made All-MEAC First Team for the first time in program history. Downs became the second Spartan in three seasons to win the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award.
 
Downs and Francis earned First Team honors for the first time in both of their careers, with Mahoganie Williams named to the second team. Downs and Williams also earned spots on the MEAC's All-Defensive Team.

Scouting the Eagles

N.C. Central's freshman phenom Diamond Thomas has emerged as one of the prolific scorers in the MEAC. Her 14.3 points per game ranks second in the conference, scoring a league-best 17.2 points per contest during MEAC play. She dropped 24 points against the Spartans last week, adding four rebounds and an assist.
Tianna Carter leads the Eagles with 7.5 rebounds per game, third-most in the conference. Carter enjoyed a career night to finish the regular season against South Carolina State on Thursday, posting 21 points and 12 rebounds in just 24 minutes of play.
 
Last Meeting / All-Time Series

NSU survived Thomas' big outing last week, defeating NCCU 71-63. The Spartans trailed by seven at halftime but outscored the Eagles 27-16 in the third quarter to take control of the game.
Just two days after coming one steal shy of a triple-double against SCSU, Downs posted another double-double against the Eagles. She finished the night with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and six steals, on her way to winning both MEAC Player and Defensive Player of the Week.
Norfolk State has a comfortable hold on the all-time matchup with the Eagles, winning 26 games and losing nine. The teams played four times in the 2020-21 season, splitting the series 2-2, before the Spartans won both regular season meetings this year.
 
NSU vs. NCCU Tip-Ins
 

• Deja Francis has taken the MEAC by storm this year. She's averaging 16.7 points per game in conference play and shooting 81.8% at the free throw line this season.
• Niya Fields and Francis have facilitated the Spartans' offensive with 3.2 and 2.9 assists per game, respectively. The pair rank third and fifth in the conference in that category, with the Spartans averaging 10.84 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 Trinity Klock second at 1.6.
• With Williams locking down the paint, Downs has controlled the passing lanes. She's averaging a conference-best 3.5 steals per game, ranking fifth in all of Division I.
• NSU has buried opponents from deep all season, shooting a conference-best 27.4 percent on 3-pointers. Downs leads the team from beyond the arc, shooting at a 30.8 percent rate.
• Norfolk State was picked to finish third in the MEAC preseason poll. NCCU was projected fourth.
• Armani Franklin was the sole Spartan to earn MEAC preseason honors, voted onto the second team. NCCU's Necole Hope was selected to third team.