Box Score | Updated Bracket

NORFOLK, Va., March 15, 2019—No. 4 seed Norfolk State dominated the glass and pulled off the upset of top seed North Carolina A&T State 60-43 in the semifinal round of the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament on Friday at Norfolk Scope Arena.
 
The Spartans (17-14) advance to Saturday’s championship game against either Bethune-Cookman or Maryland Eastern Shore at approximately 4 p.m.
 
This will be Norfolk State’s first title game appearance since 2005.
 
La’Deja James led three Spartans in double figures with 18 points, while Raven Russell and Dana Echols each added 10 points. Echols also had a team-high seven rebounds and four assists.
 
C’coriea Foy gave the Aggies an 8-6 lead with a jumper with just under seven minutes to play in the first quarter, before the Spartans went on a 10-2 run to take a 16-10 lead after an Echolds three at the 1:55 mark.
 
Norfolk State never relinquished the lead again after that, and the Spartans took a 29-19 lead into the locker room for halftime.
 
Coming out of the half, the Aggies scored five straight points, cutting the lead to 29-24 after a Cinia McCray 3-pointer. But that was as close as North Carolina A&T State ever got, and the Spartans maintained control for the rest of the game – even as both teams went the final 4:46 without scoring a point.
 
The Aggies, which came into the game atop the MEAC in rebounding margin, saw Norfolk State dominate the glass to the tune of 44-31 – including a 16-9 edge on the offensive glass.
 
North Carolina A&T State also struggled shooting from distance, going just 2-for-15 (13.3 percent) from behind the arc. The Spartans, meanwhile, hit six of their 15 shots from distance.
 
Foy led the Aggies (20-11) with 20 points.