HBCU WBB team nearly pulls off back to back SEC upsets

Courtesy of Norfolk State Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Norfolk State women’s basketball team trailed by just one early in the fourth quarter before falling to No. 22 Alabama of the SEC 68-58 at Coleman Coliseum Wednesday evening. Fresh off winning MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, Kierra Wheeler led the HBCU women’s basketball squad in scoring with a season-high 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. In its last game, Norfolk State upset another school from the SEC in Missouri.

Graduate guards Diamond Johnson and Niya Fields also scored double digits with 14 points each. Senior forward Makoye Diawara led the Spartans in rebounds with 10, marking her second game this season with double-digit rebounds.

The two teams started off the contest trading baskets with Norfolk State (3-1) taking an early 7-6 lead with a 3-pointer from senior Kierra Wheeler before Alabama (4-0) went on a quick 11-0 run into the media timeout. Norfolk State cut the lead down to single digits just before the end of the quarter with a second-chance tip-in layup from Da’naijah Williams at 20-12.

Sophomore guard Anjanae Richardson scored the first basket of the second quarter following a steal and layup, cutting the lead to 20-14 with 8:03 remaining in the half. The two teams traded buckets over the next three minutes with the SEC squad extending the lead to 24-16 with 4:56 left before halftime.

Alabama built the lead back up to 11 (27-16) before a Richardson layup cut the Crimson Tide lead back down to single digits (27-21). NSU couldn’t slow UA down before the end of the half, giving up a 10-2 run over a minute and 19 seconds, allowing Alabama to take a 37-20 lead into the locker room.

Norfolk State fought back after halftime, opening up with three threes from Fields, one from Johnson, and one from Richardson, cutting the Alabama lead to 11 (46-35). The Spartans continued to bring the pressure to the Crimson Tide offense, trimming the lead down to single digits with five straight points from Wheeler (49-43). Alabama took advantage of an offensive foul from Johnson right before the end of the quarter to extend the lead to eight at 51-43.

It didn’t take long for the HBCU to fight back in the fourth with seven straight points from Johnson forcing Alabama to take a timeout (51-50 UA) with 7:10 remaining. The Crimson Tide regrouped following the timeout, using a 7-3 run to build the lead back up to five and forcing the Spartans to take a timeout with 3:15 remaining.

Fields hit a crucial 3-pointer not long after the timeout with 2:20 remaining, cutting into the Crimson Tide lead at 60-56. However, Alabama scored seven straight points to put UA up for good, going on to survive the top 25 upset bid from the Virginia HBCU 68-58.