Women's Basketball MEAC Media Relations

Delaware State Squeaks Past NSU, 70-64

Sonia Johnson scored a game-high 20 points to help the Delaware State women's basketball team pull off a 70-64 MEAC win over Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at Joseph Echols Hall. Delaware State improved to 7-9 on the season and 3-0 in the conference, while Norfolk State fell to 0-13, 0-4.

It was a close game from the start with neither team leading by more than six in the first half. Marquilla Evans hit a jumper with 3:19 left in the opening period to give NSU a 29-28 lead, but Ashley Thompson hit the first of two free throws to tie things up at 29-all. A free throw by Alexis Abraham with 27 seconds left gave DSU a 34-31 lead going into
halftime.

The teams traded baskets to open the second half, but DSU generated a six-point lead, 55-49, on a layup by Keyhana Wakefield with 10:25 left in the game. But the Spartans would not give up and tied things up at 55-all on a layup by Evans with 7:39 left in the contest.

A free throw by Johnson gave DSU a three-point lead, 58-55, but Evans drilled a 3-pointer on an pass from Ebony Gibbs to tie it up at 58-all. DSU turned up the defense, though, limiting the Spartans to just six more points over the final 4:22 of the game. A pair of free throws by Johnson with nine seconds left sealed the win for the Lady Hornets.

DSU shot 48.9 percent (22-of-45) from the field for the game and 60 percent (24-of-40) from the charity stripe. They outrebounded NSU 34-30 and had 22 turnovers. NSU hit 22 of their 48 shots (45.8 percent) from the floor and went 16-of-24 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line.

Wakefield (15 points) and Jameka Smith (10) were the two other Lady Hornets who scored in double figures.

Evans led the Spartans with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Gibbs had a season-high 16 points and Danelle Tate had 10 points. Tashawna Higgins grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.

The Spartans host Maryland Eastern Shore at 6 p.m. on Monday.