DOVER, DE (WTKR)- On both the men's and women's sides, the road to the MEAC basketball title goes through Norfolk State. Both Spartan squads are establishing themselves as the teams to beat once again.
The green and gold visited Delaware State on Monday, with both teams picking up wins to improve to 2-0 in conference play.
Robert Jones and his men's squad faced a strong test from the Hornets early on. The two teams played closely for most of the opening frame before the Spartans created some separation heading into halftime. A 13-2 run towards the end of the half swelled the NSU advantage to 15 points and the green and gold would go into the locker room with a 42-30 lead.
Delaware State chipped away and trimmed the Spartan lead to 49-45 with 13:38 remaining in the game, but Norfolk State was able to keep the Hornets at arm's length to earn the nine point victory.
NSU shot 53 percent from the floor in the first half to help open up the lead, one that proved too much for Delaware State. The Spartans forced 18 Hornet turnovers, scoring 22 points off those turnovers, and were helped along by 10 steals.
Norfolk State (11-7, 2-0) prevailed despite missing starting guard Christian Ings, who was sidelined with an injury. Jalen Myers led the way for the green and gold with 20 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Jaylani Darden added 12 points and also pulled down nine boards, falling one rebound shy of his first career double-double. Sin'Cere McMahon scored 15 points off the bench to help fuel the Spartan victory.
The women's game was much more lopsided in favor of Norfolk State. The Spartans never trailed and rolled to a 94-54 victory over Delaware State prior to the men's showdown in Dover.
NSU (14-4, 2-0) opened the game on a 9-0 run and never looked back. The green and gold swelled the advantage to 26-12 after the opening frame and 47-29 by halftime. They did not let off the gas, opening the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run surge and cruised to the seemingly easy win.
Larry Vickers watched his defense smother the Hornets all game long. The Spartans came up with 20 steals and forced 27 DSU turnovers, turning them into 32 points. They held Delaware State to 29 percent shooting from the floor. On the other end of the floor, the green and gold shot at a 50 percent clip to help in the runaway victory.
Diamond Johnson led the way with a game-high 28 points and dished out six assists. Makoye Diawara chipped in 16 points, while Kierra Wheeler added 10 points and nine boards. Da'Brya Clark rounded out the Spartans in double figures with 10 points of her own.
The games tipped off about three hours ahead of schedule due to the weather.
Both Norfolk State teams are back in action Saturday at home, with both facing Coppin State. The women's game tips off at 2:00 PM with the men's contest scheduled for 4:00 PM at Echols Hall.
