By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com
The Norfolk State men and women’s basketball teams concluded the 2024-’25 regular season with wins over Howard in a double header played on March 6. As a result, both the men’s and women’s teams will enter the Mideastern Athletic Conference tournament as the number one seed.
The women kicked off the double header at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C., in a matchup that was aired on ESPNU. The Norfolk State Spartans defeated the Howard Bison, 68-56.
Reigning Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament Most Outstanding Player Diamond Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals. Johnson leads the MEAC in points per game with 19.2 and steals with 3.6. Senior forward Kierra Wheeler finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, her 11th double-double of the season.
University of Kentucky transfer Zennia Thomas led the scoring effort for the Bison with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Graduate guard Destiny Howell added 15 points and six assists in a losing effort.
With the win, the Spartans finish with a 27-4 overall record and a perfect 14-0 in MEAC conference play. This is the first time in program history that the women have finished the regular season with zero MEAC losses.
The accomplishments for the Spartans don’t stop there. Earlier this year, Norfolk State clinched their first victory over a Southeast Conference school when they defeated Missouri, 57-54. Half of Norfolk State’s losses were to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a 10-point loss to Alabama, two schools ranked in the AP Poll. The Spartans also had their third straight 20 win season.
The Bison also had a strong regular season. They finished 19-10 (12-2 MEAC), with their two conference losses coming at the hands of Norfolk State. Prior to their loss to Norfolk State in the regular season finale, the Bison were riding a nine-game winning streak, including a 50-point victory against South Carolina State.
Norfolk State’s men’s basketball team followed up the women’s victory with a win of their own as they defeated the Bison, 81-69. Although the Spartans only led the Bison by two at halftime and even trailed by 10 with about 15 minutes left in the matchup, turnovers and fouls would hinder the Bison late in the second half and they were unable to overcome their mistakes.
Senior guard Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans points wise with 21 on 50 percent shooting. Senior forward Jalen Myers, who stands at 6-feet-8-inches tall, recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Howard’s Marcus Dockery outscored both teams with 23 points and five three-pointers.
Freshman sensation Blake Harper chipped in with 17 points and five rebounds. Harper has claimed MEAC Rookie of the Week honors every week of the season so far, while also adding in two MEAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Harper is one of two freshmen in the nation averaging 19 points, six rebounds and three assists per game this season.
With the win, Norfolk State (21-10, 11-3 MEAC) clinched a share of the regular season MEAC title alongside South Carolina State, who also finished with a 11-3 record in the conference.
Mideastern Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament
The MEAC basketball tournament begins on March 12 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. The tournament is single elimination and the championship games will be contested on March 15.
Norfolk State women’s basketball team will enter the MEAC basketball tournament as the No. 1 seed and face South Carolina State on Wednesday, March 12 at noon. The Howard Bison will face off against Delaware State immediately after.
The Norfolk State men’s basketball team will also enter the tournament as the number one seed, as they own the tiebreaker over South Carolina State. The men will kick off the tournament playing the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on March 12 at 6 p.m. EST.
The Bison (12-19, 7-7 MEAC) enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed and will face rival Morgan State on Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m. EST. The Bison have won the tournament the past two years under Coach Blakeney, clinching berths to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Last year, the Bison defeated Delaware State in the championship game, 70-67. The men’s finale will be played on March 15 at 1 p.m. EST and will air on ESPN2.
Norfolk State women’s basketball and Howard have met in the MEAC championship game the past three years, with Norfolk coming up victorious in the last two. The women’s championship game will be played following the men’s finale. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNews.
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