NORFOLK, Va. | Three Norfolk State University women's basketball players scored in double figures as the Spartans extended their home winning streak to 17 games with a 64-43 rout of South Carolina State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Saturday afternoon at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall.
 
Norfolk State (17-4 overall, 5-1 MEAC), which rebounded from Monday night's loss at Morgan State, led 22-9 after one period and shot just 20 percent (2-of-10) from the floor in the second as South Carolina State closed the gap to 29-18 at the break. However, the Spartans shot 47.4 percent in the third period and extended the margin to 51-34 heading into the final quarter.
 
Deja Francis scored seven of her 12 points in the opening half and added five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Mahoganie Williams added eight of her 12 points in the second half, along with five boards. Camille Downs chipped in 10 points, with a team-high six steals and four boards, while Kierra Wheeler grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, with nine points, three blocked shots and a pair of assists.
 
Nicole Gwynn led South Carolina State (1-18, 0-4) with 13 points, one rebound and one steal. Janiah Hinton tossed in nine points, with six boards and three assists.
 
Norfolk State opened the game on a 10-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Chrystal White just three minutes into the game, but the Bulldogs cut the margin in half, 10-5, after a free throw by Gwynn with just over five minutes to play in the quarter.
 
The Spartans closed out the final five minutes of the period on a 12-4 run, taking a 22-9 advantage into the second.
 
Norfolk State led, 25-14, after a free throw by Wheeler with 6:13 remaining, but the Bulldogs refused to go away quietly as South Carolina State trimmed the deficit to 25-18 after a jumper by Hinton with 5:17 left.
 
Neither team got much going offensively the remainder of the period as Norfolk State shot 20 percent (2-of-10), while South Carolina State went 3-of-12 (25.0 percent).
 
The Spartans opened the second half strong, using a 9-2 run, capped by a Downs fast break layup to push the advantage to 38-20 with 7:34 remaining.
 
NSU stretched the lead to as many as 20 in the period twice as the Bulldogs got a free throw by Mekayla Lumpkin with one second left, cutting the margin to 51-34 at the end of the third quarter.
 
The Spartans led by as many as 23 points, 64-41, with less than two minutes left as Norfolk State cruised to the conference win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Norfolk State shot 39.1 percent (25-of-54) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from the free-throw line
• Deja Francis recorded 12 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists
• Mahoganie Williams added eight of her 12 points in the second half, along with five boards
• Camille Downs chipped in 10 points, with a team-high six steals and four boards
• Kierra Wheeler grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, with nine points, three blocked shots and a pair of assists
• The Spartans finished with 34 points in the paint, 30 points off 24 South Carolina State turnovers, 18 second-chance points, 18 bench points and 12 fast break points
• South Carolina State went 17-of-48 shooting (35.4 percent) and 7-of-14 (50 percent) from the charity stripe
• Nicole Gwynn registered 13 points, one rebound and one steal
• Janiah Hinton tossed in nine points, with six boards and three assists
• The Bulldogs finished with 26 points in the paint, 21 bench points, 10 points off 14 Norfolk State turnovers, four second-chance points and four fast break points

UP NEXT
Norfolk State wraps up its two-game homestand on Monday afternoon against North Carolina Central. Tip-off against the Eagles is set for 4 p.m. at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall and the game is streamed live on HBCU League Pass+.
 
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