Box Score | Updated Bracket
NORFOLK, Va., March 14, 2019--Norfolk State used a 17-2 run early in the fourth quarter to pull away with a 72-51 win over Howard in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena.
The Spartans (16-14), the No. 4 seed, advance to the semifinal round against No. 1 seed North Carolina A&T State at 12 p.m.
The two teams played close throughout the first half as Norfolk State got a late push to give it a 34-28 lead at intermission. The Bison (18-13) stayed close by getting scoring from Jayla Thornton and Krislyn Marsh, who combined for 15 of their team’s 28 first-half points.
The Spartans countered with the scoring of La’Deja James and Raven Russell, who combined for 21 of their team’s 34 points at the break.
Norfolk State managed to increase its advantage, outscoring the Bison 17-15 in the third stanza. Then the Spartans began to distance themselves to pull away by forcing numerous turnovers and scoring baskets off of Howard miscues (21 points off of 19 turnovers).
Danyael Goodhope, De’Janaire Deas, and Dana Echols were the recipients of the Howard gifts, as they turned them into points.
Howard, which came into the game leading the league in scoring at 71 points a game, hurt its cause by shooting 18-for-59 from the floor, including 3-for-23 from beyond the arc.
“It’s no secret, we hang our hats on our defense,” Norfolk State coach Larry Vickers said. “We were able to force turnovers and bad shots, and it resulted in easy baskets at the other end.”
James finished with a game-high 18 points and Russel and Echols added 11 and 10, respectively.
Howard, the No. 5 seed, got a team-high 16 points from Marsh and 12 from Thornton. Team leading scorers Sarah Edmond and Ayonna Williams came into the game averaging almost 30 points between them, but finished with only 13.
“We didn’t hit shots tonight,” Howard head coach Ty Grace said. “When we don’t score, it is a rough night and we definitely have to rely on defense. We lead the league in scoring so if we are scoring 50 points a night and not guarding, it’s going to be a long night.”