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M. Williams vs. Morgan State
Niya Grant Photography
37
Morgan St. Morgan 15-7,8-1 MEAC
74
Winner Norfolk St. Norf 20-5,8-2 MEAC
Morgan St. Morgan
15-7,8-1 MEAC
37
Final
74
Norfolk St. Norf
20-5,8-2 MEAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Morgan St. Morgan 8 5 16 8 37
Norfolk St. Norf 16 22 23 13 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Brian Howard, Asst. AD/Communications

Huge First Half Key as Norfolk State hands Morgan State First MEAC Loss

NORFOLK, Va. | The Norfolk State University women's basketball team forced 26 turnovers and held Morgan State to just 23 percent shooting as the Spartans used a huge second quarter to pull away from the Bears, 74-37, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Saturday afternoon at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall. 

Norfolk State (20-5 overall, 9-2 MEAC) led 16-8 after one quarter, but outscored Morgan State, 22-5, in the second, taking a commanding 38-13 into the break. The Bears (15-7, 8-1) were held to 25 percent (2-of-8) shooting in the second quarter as the Spartans celebrated Alumni Weekend and Greek Night by handing Morgan State its first conference loss. 

With the win, Norfolk State moved to within one-game of the conference lead and avenged last month's loss to Morgan State. 

Deja Francis paced the NSU offense with 16 points, on 5-of-7 shooting, with a team-high six assists, four rebounds and one steal. Camille Downs, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, poured in 12 points, four steals and a pair of steals, while Makoye Diawara added 10 points, three boards and two steals. Kierra Wheeler led the way defensively with a game-high 10 boards, along with eight points, three assists and one steal. 

Ja'Niah Henson led Morgan State with 11 points and three rebounds. 

The Spartans grabbed an early 10-6 advantage after a Diawara layup with 3:50 left in the opening quarter and NSU used an 8-2 run down the stretch to take a 16-8 lead into the second period. 

Norfolk State stretched the lead to 37-10 after a Francis bucket with just over five minutes remaining in the half and extended the lead to 33-13 on a Downs layup with 3:25 left. 

The Spartans continued to push the tempo as Niya Fields gave NSU its largest lead of the half, 38-13, right before halftime. 

A jumper by Francis gave Norfolk State the largest lead of the game, 55-16, with 4:44 remaining in the period as Morgan State could not recover. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

  • Norfolk State shot 56.0 percent (28-of-50) from the floor and 80.0 percent (16-of-20) from the free-throw line 
  • Deja Francis recorded 16 points, a team-high six assists, four rebounds and one steal 
  • Camille Downs poured in 12 points, four steals and a pair of steals 
  • Makoye Diawara added 10 points, three boards and two steals 
  • Kierra Wheeler led the way defensively with a game-high 10 boards, along with eight points, three assists and one steal 
  • The Spartans finished with 46 points in the paint, 38 bench points, 27 points off 26 Morgan State turnovers, 23 fast break points and 10 second-chance points 
  • Morgan State went 11-of-48 shooting (22.9 percent) and 8-of-10 (80.0 percent) from the charity stripe 
  • Ja'Niah Henson registered 11 points and three rebounds 
  • The Bears finished with 14 bench points, 12 points off 14 Norfolk State turnovers, six points in the paint, four fast break points and two second-chance points 

UP NEXT 
Norfolk State concludes its home campaign on Monday against Coppin State. Tip-off for Senior Night is set for 5:30 p.m. from Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall. 
 
For complete coverage of Norfolk State athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @NSUSpartans (Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com. 

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