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Downs vs. Howard
55
Norfolk St. Norf 23-6,11-3 MEAC
60
Winner Howard HOW 14-13,10-4 MEAC
Norfolk St. Norf
23-6,11-3 MEAC
55
Final
60
Howard HOW
14-13,10-4 MEAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Norfolk St. Norf 14 7 19 15 55
Howard HOW 16 19 14 11 60

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

Downs Paces Spartans in Regular Season Finale at Howard

NORFOLK, Va. | Camille Downs scored 22 points, including eight from the free-throw line, but it wasn't enough as the Norfolk State University women's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 60-55 loss at Howard in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) finale on Thursday night at Burr Gymnasium. 

Norfolk State (23-6 overall, 11-3 MEAC) trailed by as many as 18 points (39-21) in the third quarter but rallied to close the gap to two points down the stretch. Howard (14-13, 10-4) split the season series with NSU after picking up the home win. 

The Spartans now turn their attention to next week's MEAC Women's Basketball Tournament and will enter as the top seed. Norfolk State will open tourney play in the quarterfinals against eight-seeded South Carolina State. 

Downs, the MEAC Player of the Week, went 8-of-10 from the free-throw line to finish with 22 points, a team-high five steals, two rebounds and one assist. Kierra Wheeler added 10 points, seven boards and one steal. 

Destiny Howell led Howard with 23 points, on 7-of-15 shooting, with three rebounds and two assists. Brooklynn Fort-Davis posted a double-double of 12 boards and 10 points, with one steal and one assist. 

NSU fell behind early, but used a 12-2 run, capped by a Deja Francis fast break layup as the Spartans grabbed a 12-7 advantage with 5:22 remaining in the opening period. 

Back came Howard as the Bison closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run, taking a 16-14 lead into the second. 

Norfolk State, which went 2-for-11 from the floor in the second quarter, went the final 5:36 of the first half without a field goal as Howard extended the lead to double digits. 

Despite neither team scoring in the final two-plus minutes, the Bison took a commanding 35-21 advantage into intermission. 

Howard stretched the lead to 42-26 after a Howell 3-pointer with 6:08 left in the third, but NSU rallied with an 8-0 run, capped by a Wheeler bucket, trimming the margin to 42-34 with 3:23 remaining. 

Norfolk State continued to chip away at the deficit as Niya Fields drained a triple as the Spartans entered the final quarter trailing, 49-40. 

A bucket by Makoye Diawara trimmed the deficit to 49-44 with 6:44 left, but Howell and Fort-Davis scored on back-to-back offensive trips, pushing the advantage to 53-44 with just over four minutes remaining. 

The Spartans closed the gap to 53-50 on a Downs layup with 3:28 left, but the Bison scored the next four points, taking a 57-50 lead into the final two-plus minutes. 

A layup by  Francis, along with free throws by Diawara and Downs, cut the margin to 57-55 with 51 seconds left. 

The Spartans had an opportunity to tie the game, but Downs' layup was off the mark and the ball was rebounded by Kaniyah Harris, who was fouled with 16.9 seconds left. 

Howard sealed the game at the foul line over the final 17 seconds, snapping the Spartans' six-game winning streak. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS     

  • Norfolk State shot 32.2 percent (19-of-59) from the floor and 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the free-throw line 
  • Camille Downs registered a team-high 22 points, five steals, two rebounds and one assist 
  • Kierra Wheeler added 10 points, seven boards and one steal 
  • The Spartans finished with 32 points in the paint, 22 points off 24 Howard turnovers, 21 fast break points, 14 second-chance points and three bench points 
  • Howard went 20-of-51 shooting (39.2 percent) and 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) from the charity stripe 
  • Destiny Howell poured in 23 points, with three rebounds and two assists 
  • Brooklynn Fort-Davis posted a double-double of 12 boards and 10 points, with one steal and one assist 
  • The Bison finished with 19 points off 16 Norfolk State turnovers, 16 points in the paint, 12 bench points, 11 fast break points and six second-chance points 

UP NEXT    
Norfolk State, the top seed, opens the 2023 MEAC Women's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday in the quarterfinals against the eighth seed, South Carolina State. Tip-off against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 12 p.m. from the Norfolk Scope Arena. 

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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