Howard's Basketball Teams Knock-Off Norfolk State in Season Finales

The MEAC regular season concluded with a buzz featuring the conference's top teams in the men's and women's divisions.

Washington, DC — The ascension of HBCUs has been on full display for quite some time. The resurgence is multifaceted, from record student enrollment to an enormous influence on modern-day pop culture. Dating back to the 90's smash sitcom "A Different World" to today's CW hit spinoff series "All American Homecoming," the HBCU style has transverse generations.

Unluckily, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has experienced the highs and lows of HBCU prominence. With only eight institutions, questions have loomed regarding the conference's future. Strategic planning blended with a newly formed partnership alongside the SWAC, CIAA, and SIAC is critical to moving the conference forward.

Another critical aspect is success. In the case of MEAC basketball, the metric for success often varies; however, this season, there is no denying the achievements of the Men's and Women's divisions.

Howard vs. Norfolk State - Women's Basketball; Credit: Ray Rogers

Women's:  Norfolk State vs. Howard

Sitting atop the MEAC standings on the women's side is the Norfolk State Spartans. Entering Thursday's contest, the Spartans already locked up the MEAC regular season title with a record of 23 - 5 while receiving strong consideration for the collegeinsider.com top 25 women's mid-major poll.

The build-up to Thursday's games on both the men's and women's sides was outstanding as senior night at Howard kicked off with a rematch of last season's MEAC women's tournament championship game. Howard, currently the #3 seed in the MEAC, was victorious in that matchup which punched a ticket to the NCAA tournament.

Pregame, energy, and tension were raised several notches literally as Howard revealed the 2022 MEAC tournament championship banner that instantly drew a colorful reaction from Norfolk State players. The Spartans had the look of a group fixed on spoiling Howard's senior night and sent a message that this season would be different.

The Howard Bison had other plans. Fueled by the spirit of senior night, senior point guard Aziah Hudson scored the first five points for Howard as the Bison jumped out to an early 5 - 0 lead. This was critical for Howard as the tension between the two teams was quite evident in a chippy first half that featured multiple technical fouls. 

Trash talk, shoves, and a raucous home crowd set the stage for an uphill battle for the visiting Spartans. Norfolk State was competitive in the early going, but a solid defensive effort by the Bison and hot shooting resulted in a 35 - 21 Howard advantage at the half. The Bison shot nearly 46.2% from the field in the first half while forcing 10 Norfolk State turnovers.

As is often the case with two heavyweights, the second half would feature a much tighter back-and-forth contest. The Bison lead stood at 18 early in the third quarter, which preceded a surge by the Spartans. Howard's leading scorer, junior Destiny Howell, would twice knock down three-point baskets to slow the storming Spartans, but Norfolk reduced the deficit to nine points with the score 49 - 40 by the close of the third quarter.

The drama intensified in the final quarter as both teams locked in defensively. Neither team scored a basket for the first 2:40 of the fourth quarter until a pair of Camille Downs free throws reduced the Howard lead to seven points. The Spartans would ultimately close to within two points with 51 seconds remaining, but a costly foul and subsequent free throws sealed the game for Howard.

Howard defeated Norfolk State 60 - 55, led by Destiny Howell's 23 points.

The defending MEAC tournament champions improved to 14 - 13 overall with a 10-4 mark in conference play. The Howard Bison women's basketball team will look to continue winning while seeking to repeat as MEAC tournament champions.

Men's: Norfolk State vs. Howard

On the men's side, the stakes were higher as Howard entered Thursday's contest having already clinched at least a share of the MEAC regular season title. A win would provide the Bison their first outright MEAC regular season title in over three decades. For Norfolk State, a win would clinch a share of the MEAC regular season crown and a number one seeding in next week's MEAC tournament.

Considering the magnitude of this matchup, the expectation was that Thursday night's game would be an all-out war. Once again, the Howard Bison had other plans.

Howard quickly jumped ahead 7- 0, riding the wave of the incredible home atmosphere on a senior night. The Bison applied defensive ball pressure early and often, anchored by sophomore point guard Elijah Hawkins who tightly guarded reigning MEAC player of the year Joe Bryant Jr. The tenacious defense was the catalyst for the Bison lead that grew to an astounding 27 points by halftime with a score of 52 - 25. Norfolk State was held to 29% shooting offensively in the first half.

Conversely, Howard shot 58% from the floor, including 8/13 on three-point attempts.

The defending MEAC tournament champions, Norfolk State, was clearly unprepared for this onslaught, although recent history shows that every deficit is manageable. Earlier this week, the Spartans trailed North Carolina Central by 29 points and mounted a comeback, resulting in a 1-point loss in overtime.

The Spartans began the second half of Thursday's game with the look of a group that needed to strike quickly to garner momentum. After scoring the first seven points of the half, the run that seemed inevitable was starting to take shape for Norfolk State. The slight uptick in offense carried over defensively as Howard was held scoreless for the first 3:15 seconds of the second half. With 14:35 remaining in the second half, the Howard deficit had been reduced to 17 points with a score of 57 - 40.

However, a Marcus Dockery three-pointer pushed Howard's lead back to 20 and dashed the hopes of any second-half comeback for the Spartans. As the Bison maintained control in the second half, the reality on the Norfolk State side began to settle in.

This night belonged to Howard as the Bison defeated Norfolk State 87 - 67 to earn a season sweep of the Spartans and capture their first outright MEAC regular season title since 1987.

Sophomore guard Bryce Harris scored 22 points off the bench on an efficient 9/11 shooting to lead Howard, while Norfolk State's leading scorer Joe Bryant Jr. was held to just 9 points on 3/10 shooting.

Howard halting Norfolk State's dominance in the conference put a bow on what has been a phenomenal year for MEAC basketball. On the men's side, five teams finish the regular season with records of .500 and above, led by Norfolk State at 20 - 10, followed by Howard at 19 - 12.

The MEAC conference tournament begins on Wednesday, March 8th, as top-seeded Howard faces South Carolina State while the Spartans are set to play Coppin State in a slate of first-round matchups.