NORFOLK, Va. (Jan. 24, 2022)-Deja Francis scored a game-high 24 points and Camille Downs scored 20 and recorded a game-high 10 steals to earn a double-double, as Norfolk State defeated visiting Morgan State, 64-52 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game at Echols Hall on Monday afternoon.
 
Francis, who was coming off scoring a career-high 32 points in the Spartans' win over Coppin State on Saturday, shot 10-of-14 from the floor, grabbed three rebounds, dished out two assists, had a block and three steals in 38 minutes before fouling out. Downs also grabbed eight rebounds, falling two shy of recording a triple double, as the Spartans remained unbeaten in MEAC play.
 
Morgan State (7-6, 1-2 MEAC) which never led in the game, trailed 5-2 when the host Spartans used an 8-0 run to increase its lead to 13-2 on a layup from Mahoganie Williams with 3:53 left in the first period. Norfolk State would hold a 20-9 lead at the end of the first.
 
The Spartans would not let up in the second quarter, as they went on a 17-4 run to close out the final eight minutes of the period and took a 37-17 advantage at the intermission.
 
The Lady Bears, who seemed to struggle in the first half with Norfolk State's 2-3 zone, came out in the third quarter and outscored the Spartans, 24-8 in the period to get back in the game.  Morgan State slowly chipped away at what had become a 22-point deficit and held Norfolk State scoreless for the final 3:10 of the third quarter, while going on an 8-0 spurt to pull within four points at 45-41.
 
Unfortunately, that would be as close as Morgan State would get. The Spartans began the fourth quarter scoring the first seven points to extend their lead to 52-41 with 7:27 to play.
 
Morgan State hurt its cause by committing a season-high 30 turnovers and Norfolk State scored 25 points off of those miscues.
 
The Lady Bears were led by Dahnye Redd, who scored a team-high 15 points, grabbed four rebounds, had an assist and a block. Ashia McCalla added 12 points, six rebounds an assist and a steal. Taylor Addison pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and led Morgan State with two steals.
 
The Lady Bears will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 29, when they welcome Delaware State to Hill Field House at 2 p.m. The Hornets (0-11, 0-2 MEAC) were dealt a 53-48 loss at home to South Carolina State on Monday.
 
 
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