The Lady Spartans (#3) secured their spot in the semifinals after a blowout win against the Morgan State Bears (#6) 69-43 on March 12th at the Norfolk Scope Arena. They will now compete for a place in the championship game on March 13th at 2p.m. against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (#2).
“Proud of the win, happy that we got it. We pulled it out, but the standard is to have the confetti fall on your head,” said Lady Spartans Head Coach Jermaine Woods. “I don’t want you to think that I’m not happy about the win. I just know what it’s gonna take to meet the standard of Norfolk State University.”
Winning the jump ball, the Bears put the first points on the board with two free throws from center Jael Butler. Spartans guard Da’Brya Clark responded by knocking down two back-to-back three-pointers for the lead 6-4.
Spartan guard Jasha Clinton got her first bucket of the game hitting a second-chance pullup jumper with four minutes left in the quarter. As the Bears were trying to catch up, Spartan forward Ciara Bailey upped her defense. She snatched an offensive rebound and later blocked a Bears’ layup, but it was called for a foul.
After Bears guard Ja’la Bannerman banged a three, Spartan center LeAire Nicks crossed over a Bears’ defender in the paint for a layup. Clark then got a steal and made her way down the court for a wide-open layup, ending the quarter double the points of their opponent 18-9.
The Spartans had possession of the ball to start the second quarter, but the Bears made the first basket with a pull-up jumper from guard Tiyanna James. After Clark blocked a layup, her team fed off of her energy and their defense forced a shot clock violation on the Bears.
Spartan guard Niyah Gaston splashed her first basket and three-pointer of the game after Clinton got a steal and found her teammate on the left corner for a pass.
With 30 seconds left in the half, Clinton made a layup off a fast break, and a free throw from the Bears ended the half with a 14-point Spartan lead 35-21.
“A lot of people think, because we got a new coach, new group, Mimi and Diamond left, that we can’t get four in a row,” said Spartan guard Anjanae Richardson about winning their fourth consecutive MEAC Championship. “I feel like we can, and we know what we got to do.”
Clinton made the first basket of the second half, but it was a slow shooting period for the Spartans. They only attempted 10 shots compared to their 14 attempts in the second quarter and 21 attempts in the first, and the Bears outscored the Spartans this quarter with 14 points to the Spartans 13.
That aside, Richardson kept the Spartans in the game, making three straight layups and extended their lead to 20 points.
The Spartans had three consecutive turnovers from bad passes, and the Bears used that to their advantage. They went on a 7-0 scoring run and closed the gap to a 13-point game, ending the quarter 48-35.
In the last quarter of the game, the Spartans came out aggressive. They started the quarter gaining five points from three free throws and a layup by Nicks. Five seconds left on the shot clock was all Clinton needed to make an easy layup before the buzzer went off.
Immediately after, Clinton got another layup from a Bears turnover, then Clark banged her first three-pointer of the second half.
The last two minutes of the game belonged to Richardson. As the Bears were trying to stay in the game, Richardson got a steal and made a behind the back layup, crossing a Bears defender in the paint. On the Spartans next possession, she made a step-back jumper for a 31-point lead, their largest of the game.
Bannerman brought it down to trail behind 26 points with a layup and three free throws for the Bears, but Spartans still snatched the win 69-43.
“We got to push on to tomorrow and have a better performance, but definitely happy that we got the win,” said Woods. “You got to be grateful for all the wins you get now.”
Richardson was named “Player of the Game” and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. Clinton finished with 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals.
Bears leaders of the game were Bannerman with 14 points, forward Maya Woodson with 10 rebounds, and guard Mihjae Hayes with three assists.
Spartan Echo 