HBCU Basketball: Norfolk State And UMES Participate In 'Coaches Vs. Racism' Classic

Norfolk State and UMES women's basketball teams participated in a historic event in the nation's capital over the weekend.

Norfolk State Spartans At Coaches vs Racism / Credit: Ray Rogers, Urban Sports Scene

Washington, DC — The women's basketball teams for Norfolk State and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) took part in the fourth annual Coaches vs Racism Roundball Classic (CVR) held at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC, on Saturday, December 7th. It is the fourth installment of this event and marks the first year that women's teams have headlined.

Coaches vs Racism identifies its organization as "a national nonprofit dedicated to ending systemic racism through sports. The organization boasts a mission that states CVR is dedicated to combating racism through sports. As part of its mission, the organization mobilizes coaches in the pro ranks and collegiate and amateur levels across the country to create an action-filled, educational, and grassroots approach to inspire cultural and societal change in sports. CVR has teamed with several Division I schools, college coaches, HBCU schools, and professional sports teams to promote awareness of Social Injustice, Economic Divide, Equality, Reform, and Systemic Racism (SEERS) in sports." 

The event featured an exciting slate of women's basketball games that pitted Norfolk State vs St. Louis, UMES vs Arizona State, and Georgetown vs Colgate. 

Norfolk State Looks Dominant In Victory Over Saint Louis

Norfolk State women's basketball team looked impressive while leading wire-to-wire in a 75-66 win over Saint Louis University. The Spartans ranked #14 in the college insider mid-major poll, were led by the dynamic duo of Diamond Johnson and Kierra Wheeler, who scored a combined 45 points with 18 rebounds.

Perfect Time

It would be Johnson, affectionately referred to by teammates as "dime time," that got the Spartans going with back-to-back baskets to give Norfolk State a 10 - 2 advantage with 5:07 to play in the first quarter.

The Spartans maintained the 8-point lead to close out the first as Diamond Johnson finished the quarter a perfect 3/3 from the floor, including 2/2 from three-point range. Diamond continued red-hot shooting in the second quarter en route to a 19 - 6 run that gave the Spartans a 43 - 25 lead with 2:30 remaining in the first half.  

Norfolk State led 46-31 at halftime, powered by Diamond Johnson, who was a perfect 7 for 7 from the field, including 3 for 3 from three-point range.

Diamond Johnson, Norfolk State Spartans Guard / Credit: Ray Rogers, Urban Sports Scene

Spartans Look To Climb The Rankings

Kierra Wheeler scored 14 points in the second half while leading a balanced attack that entailed Norfolk State building a 20-point lead en route to the victory. Saint Louis fought late in the fourth while closing the gap to 7 points, but these efforts fell short as the Spartans remained poised to close out the victory. 

Diamond Johnson led all scorers with 23 points while adding eight rebounds and following the victory, shed some light on the team's mindset.

"This go around in December is going to be even more of a challenge.  Just to start off, they got us ranked number fourteen in the mid-major poll so these tests will be good for us to show that we can compete against top teams." 

The 8 - 3 Norfolk State Spartans face stiff competition in December, with games scheduled against top opponents Drexel, the #16-ranked UNC Tar Heels and Auburn. 

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Oct 22, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Natasha Adair talks to media during Big 12 Women’s Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Arizona State Outlasts UMES In Hard Fought Battle 

The second matchup of the three-game slate featured the Hawks of Maryland Eastern-Shore (UMES) vs. the Arizona State University Sun Devils.     

The game was intense from the outset in a back-and-forth battle where the two teams were knotted 12-12 after one quarter. Iowa State began to create separation early in the second quarter while building a nine-point advantage with 6:57 remaining in the half.  

Both teams shot the ball efficiently, and UMES held a slim edge in the rebounding category; however, the Hawks committed a staggering 19 first-half turnovers, leading to 14 points for the Sun Devils.  Arizona State led 35-26 at halftime. 

The miscues continued for UMES in the second half, including multiple defensive lapses that created wide-open opportunities for Arizona State, whose halftime lead stretched to fifteen points late in the third quarter.

Despite turnover woes, UMES connected on three Consecutive 3-pointers to claw back to within 10 points of Arizona State with 5:40 left to play in the game. UMES would get as close as 7 points but committed their 32nd turnover of the contest with 0:43 seconds, which sealed the game for Arizona State.

Arizona State defeated UMES 64 - 57 led by senior guard Tyi Skinner's 13 points.  Grad student Zamara Haynes led the Hawks with 15 points.   

UMES retakes the court on Saturday, December 14th, for a matchup with George Mason University. 

Impact Of The Tournament

The theme of Saturday's event profoundly impacted the players and coaches of the participating institutions.  

Arizona State Women's head basketball coach Natasha Adair summed up the occasion with words echoed throughout the day by many.

"Any time we can use our platform to bring awareness to the inequalities, to the issues that plague us, we do so. To use the platform for good and to bring awareness for what's going on in our world." 

For further information and to support this cause, please visit https://coachesvsracism.org.

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