STANFORD, Calif. – The Norfolk State women's basketball team concluded a magical season late Friday night at Maples Pavilion, falling 79-50 to No. 2 seed Stanford in the NCAA Tournament First Round.
 
Junior guard Diamond Johnson led the Spartans (27-6, 13-1 MEAC) with 19 points, tallying seven rebounds and four steals. Kierra Wheeler played well on both ends of the floor, recording 17 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks.
 
Elena Bosgana led the Cardinal (29-5, 15-3) with 18 points, while Kiki Iriafen posted 17 points and nine rebounds. Cameron Brink, the 2023-24 Pac-12 Player of the Year, produced a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double with six blocks.
 
The Spartans showed no fear from the opening tip. Stanford started the game with a 5-0 run, but Norfolk State bounced right back. Wheeler scored the first points of the game for the road team, before Diamond Johnson finished in the lane with one hand  a couple of minutes later.
 
A layup from Niya Fields brought the Spartans within three. Johnson added another score at the rim, as NSU went into the second quarter trailing just 15-12 to the fifth-ranked team in the nation.
 
Stanford began the second quarter with precision, going on an 11-0 run that included multiple baskets by Irafen. Johnson ended the swing with a trip to the free throw line.
 
Anjanae Richardson showed poise for a freshman guard, following up her own miss to score over a taller defender. Iriafen got to the basket seconds before the horn sounded, though, sending Stanford to halftime with a 32-19 advantage.
 
Wheeler began to display her strength in the third quarter. The 2023-24 MEAC Player of the Year scored six points in the period, getting inside the paint and protecting the basketball amongst a forest of defenders.
 
Johnson knocked down an impossible jump shot from the baseline before the quarter ended, but Stanford started to heat up from behind the arc. Bosgana drained the Cardinal's fourth 3-pointer of the period, giving the home team a 58-37 lead to start the fourth quarter.
 
Richardson ended the Spartans' deep-shooting draught with under four minutes remaining in the game, hitting a 3-pointer off a Fields assist from the left wing. Wheeler capped off her day with an and-one layup and putback score on Norfolk State's final two possessions of the season.
 
Checking The Box Score

• Diamond Johnson led the Spartans with 19 points, adding seven rebounds, four steals and two assists
• Kierra Wheeler posted 17 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks
• Elena Bosgana led Stanford with 18 points, while Kiki Iriafen recorded 17 points and nine rebounds
• Cameron Brink, the 2023-24 Pac-12 Player of the Year, recorded 17 points, 15 rebounds, and six blocks
• The Spartans amassed 10 steals, including four by Johnson, three by Niya Fields, and two by Skye Robinson
• Freshman Anjanae Richardson knocked down Norfolk State's lone 3-pointer of the night 

News & Notes

• Norfolk State concluded the 2023-24 season with a 27-6 overall record, 13-1 in MEAC play
• Stanford improved to 29-5 with the win
• Friday marked the first-ever meeting between Stanford and Norfolk State
• The Spartans made their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, facing No. 1 overall seed South Carolina in the 2023 First Round.
• Norfolk State's 27 wins marked the most in the program's Division I history
• The result ended Norfolk State's 15-game win streak, another program Division I record