NORFOLK, Va. (Jan. 29, 2024)-Norfolk State's Diamond Johnson scored a game-high 19 points to lead three Spartans in double figures scoring, enroute to a 62-45 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory over visiting Morgan State on Monday evening at Echols Hall.
 
Norfolk State improved to 15-5, 4-1 in the MEAC, while Morgan State dropped to 6-14, 1-4 MEAC.
 
Da'naijah Williams and Niya Fields scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Kierra Wheeler pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to lead the defending MEAC champions to their third straight victory.
 
Morgan State, which dropped its season-long fourth consecutive game, was led by Amari Smith, who scored a team-high 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range. Joelle Johnson added nine points and Laila Fair and Jael Butler each finished with seven points. Sedayjha Payne grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
 
The Lady Bears, who committed a season-high 27 turnovers in the game, trailed 42-36 heading into the fourth quarter, before getting outscored 20-9 in the final period.
 
Morgan State began the fourth quarter with Butler scoring on a jumper and knocking down a free throw to bring the Lady Bears within 42-39 with 9:48 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, that would be as close as Morgan would get.
 
Norfolk State would use a 16-2 run over the next seven-plus minutes to take a 58-41 lead and all but seal the deal with 2:12 left in the contest.
 
Morgan State will continue its three-game road swing when it travels to Orangeburg, S.C. to take on South Carolina State on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs (1-19, 0-5 MEAC) are currently on a 12-game losing skid, following their 63-45 loss at Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday.
  
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.