BALTIMORE | Deja Francis scored 17 points as the Norfolk State University women's basketball team could not overcome a big third quarter by Morgan State as the Bears extended their home winning streak to 14 games with a 57-46 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory on Monday night at Hill Field House.
 
Norfolk State (16-4 overall, 4-1 MEAC) trailed, 23-22, at the break, but were outscored 24-11 in the third quarter. Morgan State (11-6, 4-0) recorded just three field goals and shot 21.4 percent in the final period as the Bears held off a late NSU rally.
 
Francis went 6-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the foul line to lead the Spartans with 17 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals. Da'naijah Williams added 10 points, including four from the foul line, with three boards, three steals and one assist. Makoye Diawara recorded a team-high eight boards, along with four points, one assist and one steal.
 
Ja'Niah Henson led all scorers with 20 points, three steals, one rebound and one steal. Charlene Shepherd registered a double-double of 17 points, 17 boards, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
 
Norfolk State, which has not won at Morgan State since the 2018-19 season, raced out to a 6-3 lead after a Kierra Wheeler layup with 6:49 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
The Spartans, who shot 34.6 percent in the opening half, went the final 6:49 without a field goal as Morgan State used an 11-0 run to take a 14-6 lead into the second quarter.
 
A layup by Da'naijah Williams snapped a seven-minute plus cold spell for Norfolk State and cut the deficit to 14-8 with 9:23 left in the half.
 
Morgan State, which drained three triples in the first half, stretched the advantage to 18-8 after a fast break layup by Henson with 7:39 left, but Norfolk State slowly reeled the Bears back in as Francis, Mahoganie Williams and Camille Downs sank buckets, cutting the margin to 18-15 with 3:35 remaining.
 
MSU led 23-17 with 44 seconds left, but free throws by Williams and a layup by Francis closed the gap to 23-22 at the half.
 
The Bears opened the third period on a 15-3 run to stretch the lead to 38-25 through the first five minutes.
 
Fields scored on back-to-back layups, but Shepherd answered with a 3-pointer and a layup as Morgan State increased the lead to 43-29 with 2:38 remaining.
 
Morgan State outscored Norfolk State, 24-11, in the third period as the Bears took a commanding 47-33 advantage into the final quarter.
 
The Bears stretched the lead to 52-33 after a Maiya Bumbray 3-pointer with 8:37 left, but the Spartans responded with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes, closing the gap to 52-42 with 4:10 remaining.
 
Norfolk State got as close as nine points, 55-46, with 37 seconds left, but could not overcome the huge deficit.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Norfolk State shot 36.7 percent (18-of-49) from the field and 75.0 percent (9-of-12) from the free-throw line
• Deja Francis tallied 17 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals
• Da'naijah Williams added 10 points, three boards, three steals and one assist
• Makoye Diawara recorded a team-high eight boards, along with four points, one assist and one steal
• The Spartans finished with 30 points in the paint, 16 points off 24 Morgan State turnovers, 14 bench points, 10 fast break points and six second-chance points
• Morgan State went 20-of-55 shooting (36.4 percent) and 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) from the charity stripe
• Ja'Niah Henson registered 20 points, three steals, one rebound and one steal
• Charlene Shepherd recorded a double-double of 17 points, 17 boards, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot
• The Bears finished with 22 points off 27 Norfolk State turnovers, 18 points in the paint, 17 bench points, 10 second-chance points and eight fast break points

UP NEXT
Norfolk State returns home for back-to-back games at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall as the Spartans play host to South Carolina State on Saturday. Tip-off against the Bulldogs for Ladies Night and Breast Cancer Awareness Night is set for 2 p.m. and streamed live on HBCU League Pass+.
 
NSU will wrap up the two-game homestand on next Monday for Housing and Residence Life Night as the Spartans play host to North Carolina Central.
 
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