NSU Men and Women Win MEAC basketball titles at Scope

By Randy Singleton
Community Affairs Correspondent

Norfolk, VA
The Norfolk State men and women’s basketball teams won the MEAC hoops titles at the Scope arena this past weekend and punched their tickets to the NCAA tournament. The NSU men (24-10) overcame a South Carolina State 9 point halftime lead to rally for a thrilling 66-65 win in front of a hometown crowd at the Scope. The Spartans switched to a pressure defense which enabled them to score more points off turnovers and fast-breaks. NSU guard Christian Ings led the Spartans with 16 points, while forward Brian Moore chipped in 15 points and was named the MEAC newcomer of the year and the tournament’s most outstanding player. Christian Ings hit a couple of clutch free-throws at the end of the game which sealed the victory for the Spartans. NSU coach Robert Jones was named the tournament’s most outstanding coach. Norfolk State earned its fourth-ever MEAC championship on Saturday and received the No. 16 seed in the West Region of the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, facing No. 1 seed Florida on Friday, March 21 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC. The NSU women (30-4) scored a three-peat MEAC basketball title with a 68-56 victory over Howard.
The Lady Spartans were led by Kierra Wheeler, who scored 19 points and was named the MEAC’s most outstanding player. NSU’s Diamond Johnson scored 16 points and Da’Brya Clark contributed 10 points to the victory. The Lady Spartans jumped to an early 11-0 lead but allowed Howard to rally and briefly take the lead. NSU regained the lead and went on to cruise to victory in the championship game. NSU women’s coach Larry Vickers was named the MEAC’s most outstanding coach. The NSU Lady Spartans drew the No. 13 seed and will play No. 4 seed Maryland on Saturday, March 22 in College Park, MD in the Regional 2 of the NCAA Tournament.