Box Score | Updated Bracket | MEACHoops.com


NORFOLK, Va., March 11, 2021 – Norfolk State opened the 2021 Air Force Reserve MEAC Basketball Tournament on Thursday afternoon with a 56-45 win over Coppin State in the women’s quarterfinal round at the Scope Arena.
 
The Spartans (5-8) advance to Friday’s 12 p.m. semifinal against Northern Division top seed Howard.
 
“I’m grateful we came out poised and energetic,” Spartans head coach Larry Vickers said. “The first game of the tournament is the hardest. We didn’t get to shoot around (at Scope) and get a feel for the rims, so I knew our offense might not be great to start. But our defense was pretty locked in all game. Even though we missed some shots early, we were still controlling the game with our defense and rebounding.”
 
Four Spartans scored in double figures on an afternoon where points were at a premium. Shine Strickland-Gills led the way with a season-high 13 points and 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, while Mangela Ngandjui and Jalynn Holmes each added 12 points.
 
Armani Franklin added 10 points for Norfolk State, the No. 2 seed out of the Southern Division.
 
Norfolk State led by just three at the break, 26-23, but opened the third quarter on a 10-3 run to open up a 36-26 lead after Franklin sank a three with just under six minutes left in the frame. A Holmes layup with 39 seconds left in the period gave the Spartans their largest lead of the game, 44-33.
 
Coppin State scored the next seven points, cutting the gap to 44-40 with 7:30 left to play after an Aliyah Lawson layup. But that was as close as the Lady Eagles got, as Norfolk State led by no fewer than two possessions the rest of the way.
 
Norfolk State shot 37.5 percent from the floor (21-for-56) and made 10 of their 14 free throws (71.8 percent). They held Coppin State, the No. 3 seed out of the Northern Division, to just 25.4 percent (15-for-59) shooting and held a 45-39 edge on the glass.
 
Lawson led the Lady Eagles (2-13) with 12 points.