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While many may have been watching the FBS College Football National Championship, the women's and men's basketball teams of the Norfolk State Spartans and the North Carolina Central Eagles had a double-header on the same night. All four teams are formidable squads, which created two entertaining games for the fans at the McDougald-McLendon arena in Durham, North Carolina.
Lady Spartans vs. Lady Eagles
The women's teams played on the front end of the double-header. The North Carolina Central Eagles came into the game having broken a two-game losing skid by winning in an overtime thriller against the Howard Bison, 79-76. On the other hand, the Norfolk State Spartans came in brandishing an 11-4 record, the best in the MEAC. They sought to extend their winning streak to five games, and the Spartans were successful.
The Spartans flat-out blitzed the Eagles on defense. They held North Carolina Central scoreless for the first four minutes of the game. They eventually built a 13-5 that turned into an 18-7 advantage with 90 seconds left in the opening quarter. In those 90 seconds, the Eagles doubled their score. Janiah Jones scored five of their seven-point burst with a three-pointer and a jump shot on the following possession. Despite the Eagles' offense waking up, the Spartans continued to pour in buckets. They closed the quarter with a 23-14 lead.
Both teams struggled to score a little bit in the second quarter. The Spartans briefly held a 12-point lead, but North Carolina Central's Aniya Finger made three consecutive layups, bringing the score down to 27-20. Norfolk State rebuilt their double-digit lead, but the Eagles cut it down again right before the half.
As is the case with a lot of Norfolk State women's games, the dam broke open in the third quarter. They came out of the break with a 14-0 run. Spartan guard Niya Field orchestrated much of the offense, accounting for 10 of the 14 points. She scored two baskets of her own and set up two teammates for assists on three-point shots. The Eagle offense broke out of the Spartans' stranglehold, but they couldn't get any stops on defense. It felt like every time the Spartans came down on offense, they scored, or at least got a good look at the basket. They more than doubled North Carolina Central in the third quarter, 33-16.
The fourth quarter for Norfolk State was entirely focused on maintaining the lead and preventing a potential comeback. The Eagles got the deficit under 20 points twice, but both times, Spartan guard Da'Brya Clark responded: once with a field goal, and again with a set of free throws. The Spartans cruised to an 81-60 victory.
Kyla Bryant led the Eagles in scoring with 17 points. She was unstoppable from three-point range, knocking down five of her nine attempts from deep. Aniya Finger and Morgan Callahan were the only other Eagles who scored in double-digits. Finger finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and three blocks with just 13 minutes of playing time off the bench. Callahan recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with three assists and two steals.
The Spartans have a bit of a break before going to Washington, D.C. to play the Howard Bison on Jan. 20. The Eagles will look to bounce back against the North Carolina Wesleyan Battling Bishops on Jan. 16.
Spartans vs. Eagles
After the women's game, the men's teams from each team took the court. Both teams are at the top of the standings in the MEAC, and boast similar records. The Norfolk State Spartans beat South Carolina State in their MEAC opener, improving their record to 10-7. Meanwhile, North Carolina Central entered the night with a five-game win streak. They handily defeated Howard to start their conference play. The Eagles have played one less game than the Spartans, but they still had a record of 9-7.
As expected, the two teams played a close game to start. Despite the close score, however, North Carolina Central never led. Both offenses took about 10 minutes to really get going. Norfolk State's lead slowly increased from three points to as much as 10 following a pair of free throws from Jamarii Thomas. Thomas, who had 10 first half points, scored eight of them at the stripe. Leading 28-18, the Eagle offense kicked into gear, sparking a 10-0 run and closing the gap. After a three-pointer from Fred Cleveland Jr. brought the Eagles within a basket, Spartan forward Kuluel Mading responded with a three of his own. The Spartans entered halftime with a six-point, 35-29 cushion.
The script of the game completely flipped in the second half. An and-one layup and made free throw from Emmanuel Izunabor gave the Eagles their first lead of the game. The Spartans reclaimed the lead briefly, but the Eagles took it back following a basket from Po'Boigh King. North Carolina Central held the lead for the rest of the game. They led by only as much as six points, but the Spartans kept the game extremely close.
Down the stretch of the game, the Spartans had four distinct chances to take the lead. Another pair of free throws for Thomas cut the score to 59-58 with about 80 seconds to go. First, Allen Betrand had a wide open jumper that clanked off the rim. Nyzaiah Chambers grabbed the offensive board and got fouled, but he missed the front end of the one-and-one free throw. Jack Doumbia later got a steal and was fouled on a shot attempt, but he too missed the front end of the free throws. Finally, with just seconds remaining in the game, Betrand had another opportunity to go to overtime or win the game. Despite only being down two points, he took a step-back three-point jumper that caromed of the rim. King grabbed the rebound, and the Eagles escaped with a 60-58 victory.
Norfolk State's offense struggled heavily in the second half. Jamarii Thomas led the Spartans with 18 points, but 12 of them came from the free throw line. In actuality, he was 3-10 from the field and 0-4 from three-point range. He did also have five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Allen Betrand was the only other Spartan in double-figures. He had 10 points but missed all seven of his three-point attempts. Nyzaiah Chambers and Kuluel Mading were forces on the glass with 12 and nine rebounds, respectively.
Ja'Darius Harris and Po'Boigh King carried the Eagles' offense. Harris scored 20 points and grabbed four assists. King nearly had a double-double with 17 points and eight rebounds, and he also had three steals. Fred Cleveland Jr. also had 11 points, seven assists, and two steals.
The Spartans will play again on Jan. 15 against Virginia Lynchburg in hopes of returning to the win column. The Eagles have a longer break, not playing again until Jan. 15 where they'll look to lengthen their win streak to seven against South Carolina State.
