The MEAC basketball tournament tipped off Wednesday afternoon, with the top two seeds in the women’s bracket advancing convincingly but still in different ways.
Top seed Norfolk State fell behind once again to No. 8 South Carolina State before overwhelming the Lady Bulldogs for an 81-55 victory, while No. 2 seed Howard led wire-to-wire in a dominant 85-49 win over 7th-seeded Delaware State.
In the first game, South Carolina State (2-29) led 20-16 in the first quarter thanks to a 4-for-4 performance from behind the three-point line.
Norfolk State fought back to tie the game at 20 going into the second quarter, and the trio of Kiarra Wheeler, Makoye Diawara, and conference player of the year Diamond Johnson combined for 18 of the Spartans’ 21 second-quarter points to take a 41-30 lead into the half.
Norfolk State forced 32 Bulldog turnovers, converting easy baskets on the way to the victory.
Wheeler led five Spartans in double figures with 20 points while Johnson added 18 and Diawara, Da’Brya Clark, and Danai Williams pitched in 14, 13, and 11 points, respectively.
Junior guard Angie Juste-Jean led South Carolina State with 20 points.
The win also set a new Division I win record for Norfolk State, which improved to 28-4 on the season.
History made!
#GoldStandard
pic.twitter.com/9KkUmmUB50
— Norfolk State Women’s Basketball (@NorfolkStateWBB) March 12, 2025
Norfolk State will play the winner of the fourth-seed Coppin State and No. 5 North Carolina Central on Friday at noon.
In the second game, Howard never trailed and led by as many as 40 (68-28) in the fourth quarter against an outmatched Hornet squad.
Every available Howard player made a mark in the scorebook, and five Bison reached double figures.
Destiny Howell led the way with 15 points, joined by MEAC rookie of the year Saniyah King, Kaiya Creek, and Zennia Thomas with 11 points. Nile Miller added 10 points and team-highs of 8 rebounds and 3 blocks for Howard (20-10).
Delaware State, who ended their season 5-24, was led by sophomore guard Kiarra McElrath’s game-high of 24 points. Junior Mahogany Cottingham added 10 points for the Hornets.
Howard advances to Friday’s semifinals, where they’ll meet the winner of No. 3 Maryland-Eastern Shore and No. 6 Morgan State following the Norfolk State semifinal contest.
