NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- The Norfolk State women's basketball team wasn't completely satisfied with how it played in the MEAC quarterfinals Wednesday. Friday saw the Spartans look a little more like themselves.
NSU held Coppin State to 23 percent shooting and rolled past the Eagles, 72-33, in the MEAC semifinals at Scope Arena. The win improved the Spartans' record to 29-4, extending the green and gold's program record for single season victories.
"Boy, we were good," head coach Larry Vickers said after the win. "We were good, we were talking and our seniors, you could tell that they really didn't want to lose today and they played with a different level of intensity and talk."
Unlike Wednesday's match-up with South Carolina State, Norfolk State took control right from the jump. The Spartans led 14-7 after a quarter and took a 29-13 advantage into halftime. That was more than enough to carry the green and gold to the victory and they went on to outscore the Eagles, 42-20 in the second half.
Kierra Wheeler paced Norfolk State with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Diamond Johnson added 17 points and eight boards. Da'Brya Clark scored 14 points off the bench. The Spartans also won the battle of the boards, 51-39, and knocked down seven of their nine free throws.
The victory puts the team on the cusp of a third consecutive MEAC championship. A win Saturday would make the Spartans the first squad to win three titles in a row since Hampton won five straight from 2010-2014. It's something the green and gold have discussed heading into the tournament.
"He (Vickers) talks to me a lot about legacy and building this dynasty and building the culture here," Wheeler said. "That's kind of our motivation here. We've done it two years in a row, but now it's about building our legacy and just continue to build the winning culture at Norfolk State."
"A three-peat is hard for any team at any level," added Johnson. "I think this year we really matured and we really locked in and at the beginning of the season, this was one of our main goals."
The Spartans also enter Saturday's title game one victory shy of the program's first ever 30-win campaign.
Norfolk State will meet either Howard or Maryland-Eastern Shore for the MEAC title Saturday at 4:00 PM.
