Courtesy of Norfolk State Athletics
NORFOLK, VA. – The Norfolk State women’s basketball team secured its second victory of the season behind a 32-point performance from graduate student Diamond Johnson, a second year HBCU transfer from the ACC.
Johnson also added five rebounds, three assists, and three rebounds to her totals, as Norfolk State defeated Longwood 71-62. Senior Kierra Wheeler earned her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds, adding four blocks in the win.
Graduate student guard Niya Fields added 12 points and four assists for Norfolk State.
Longwood grabbed the early lead in the first quarter, building a quick 6-3 lead before Makoye Diawara put the Spartans within one with a driving layup.
Johnson hit a pair of deep shots from the top of the key while forward Da’naijah Williams went to the hoop for two, giving the Spartans the 13-8 lead. The Lancers battled back, tying the game at 15-15 behind a 7-2 run.
Longwood opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to build its largest lead of the game at 25-17. A layup and a jumper from Johnson would bring the Spartans to within four points with 2:42 left to play in the half.
Senior forward Skye Robinson brought NSU within two on the next possession with a wide-open layup from under the basket. However, LU would bring the one-point lead into the locker room at 30-29.
Norfolk State came out of the locker room ready to play in the second half, gaining their first lead since the first quarter on a Wheeler layup. The two teams traded advantages over the quarter until the Lancers went on an 8-3 run to extend the lead to 49-44 with 2:29 left in the quarter.
A big pull-up jumper from Diamond Johnson with 35 seconds to play gave the Virginia HBCU a 50-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
NSU carried its momentum into the fourth quarter including eight points in a row from Wheeler, extending the Spartans advantage to 63-53. Norfolk State continued its run out of the media time out, building its largest lead off the game at 67-52 on a driving layup by Johnson.
The Spartans held off a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter from the Lancers to win the contest 71-62.
Checking The Box Score
- Diamond Johnson posted her third career 30-point game, finishing with 32 points
- Johnson also tied her career high with six made 3-pointers
- Kierra Wheeler continued her strong start to the season with back-to-back double-doubles
- The game featured 11 lead changes and had four ties
- Norfolk State shot 83.3 percent from three in the third quarter (5-6)
News & Notes
- The Spartans women’s basketball team improved to 2-0 with the win
- NSU leads the all-time series 13-5
- With the win, the Spartans have won six straight games against Longwood
- Norfolk State extended its home winning streak to 16 games
Up Next
Norfolk State will hit the road for the first time in the 2024-25 HBCU women’s basketball campaign to take on the Missouri Tigers on Sunday, Nov. 10 in Columbia, Mo. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
