The Norfolk State women’s basketball team is close to its usual place atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings, trailing Maryland Eastern Shore by half a game.
The surprise is how they’ve been able to do it despite losing conference player of the year Diamond Johnson, all-conference forward Kierra Wheeler to West Virginia in the transfer portal, and head coach Larry Vickers left for Auburn.
How are the defending conference champ Spartans 5-1 in MEAC play heading into Saturday’s battle against preseason favorite Howard? Here are some important reasons.
A new Big 3
Returning guards Da’Brya Clark and Anjanae Richardson, along with Hampton transfer Jasha Clinton, have made the Spartans just as potent.
They make up 61% of NSU’s scoring output, with each averaging double figures.
Clark is putting together a MEAC Player of the Year campaign. She’s tied with Howard’s Zennia Thomas for the conference lead in scoring (15.3 points per game) and ranks top 10 in rebounds (5.2 per game), assists (2.4 per game), and steals (2.6).
Clinton, an amazing story herself as a grad student and mother, has added scoring punch and defensive chops to the Norfolk State roster, averaging nearly 14 points per game and leading the MEAC in steals (3.4 per game).
Richardson averages 10 points per game, also ranks in the top 10 in the MEAC in assists (2.4 per game), and grabs nearly five rebounds per contest.
As those three go, so goes the Norfolk State women’s basketball team.
Norfolk State currently leads the MEAC in fewest points allowed (61 per game), along with blocked shots (105) and steals (267). They also rank second behind Coppin State in turnovers forced (443).
When baskets are hard to come by, defense will keep you in a ball game. The Spartans’ defense has done more than that; it has made them a contender for the MEAC title once again.
Everybody plays a role
It’s not just Clark, Clinton, and Richardson that are key to the Spartans’ success.
New head coach Jermaine Woods brought two players from Coppin State with him: guards Cire Worley (7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 80% from the free throw line) and Niyah Gaston, who can give the lead guards a breather.
Norfolk State also has gotten contributions from forward Ciara Bailey, the conference’s leader in blocked shots, even though she’s missed the Spartans’ last four games. LeAire Nicks and Virginia State transfer Carmen Kweti have filled in admirably in Bailey’s absence, giving Woods a solid 1-2 punch in the post.
NSU saw a little bit of everything before MEAC play, such as 12th-ranked Ole Miss, No. 15 Duke, and No. 16 Iowa State.
Games against Penn, Hampton, and North Carolina A&T tested the Spartans’ mettle, giving them reference points to come back to when conference games become tougher.
And it doesn’t get much tougher than a trip to Burr Gymnasium on Saturday to face Howard (1 p.m., ESPN Plus), but Norfolk State will certainly be up for the challenge as they continue to defend their conference title with a new team in place.
