Howard defeats Norfolk State 53-46 to claim women's MEAC Tournament championship

Audio By Carbonatix

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Zennia Thomas scored 15 points, Nile Miller had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Howard defeated Norfolk State 53-46 on Saturday to claim the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship for the first time since 2022.

The Bison defeated the team that beat them in the last three MEAC championship games. Saturday was the fifth consecutive time that the Bison and Spartans squared off in the championship game.

Howard and Norfolk State's dominance of the MEAC was evident during the regular season. Top-seeded Howard went 13-1 in the regular season and now has a 14-game winning streak. Second-seeded Norfolk State won 12 of its final 15 games, with each loss at the hands of Howard.

Ariella Henigan's mid-range jumper gave Howard a 51-45 lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Norfolk State managed one free throw the rest of the way and the Spartans missed their last seven shots. Henigan made two free throws with 22 seconds left to set the final margin.

Henigan scored 11 points for Howard (26-7).

Jasha Clinton scored 11 points and Anjanae Richardson added 10 for Norfolk State (18-14).

Howard scored the last eight points of the first quarter to take a 16-9 lead but Norfolk State came right back in the second quarter, scoring seven points in the first 1 1/2 minutes to tie it up. A 3-pointer by Cire Worley put the Spartans up 23-20 in midway through the quarter and they held the lead until a jumper by Howard's Sa’lah Hemingway tied it at 27 heading to halftime.

Howard built a 42-33 lead through three quarters, despite shooting only 24% in the third quarter. Norfolk State shot 13% in the third.

NCAA Tournament pairings will be announced on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.