ORANGEBURG, S.C. —- Graduate guard Diamond Johnson hit one of the biggest milestones of her career, surpassing 2,000 points in Norfolk State’s 88-57 win against South Carolina State Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore guard Da’Brya Clark led NSU in scoring with 20 points, adding four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block to her totals. Johnson also produced a big game for the Spartans with 19 points, eight rebounds, seven steals, and three assists.
Anjanae Richardson also scored in double figures, accumulating 19 points for NSU in the win.
Norfolk State got off to a quick start, building a quick 15-2 advantage behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Richardson and Clark. The Spartans continued their 3-point barrage following a SCSU timeout, with Makoye Diawara draining her first bucket of the contest. The Bulldogs ended the Spartans’ run with a layup from Jenesse Byrd with 4:54 left to play in the first quarter.
Johnson made her presence known, coming into the game and scoring back-to-back layups, giving NSU a 25-4 lead. The Bulldogs built some momentum near the end of the first quarter, going on a 9-0 run, before Richardson went coast-to-coast for the lay in.
The two teams traded baskets to open the second quarter, before Richardson found her way to the hoop for back-to-back layups, putting the Spartans up by 20. South Carolina State tried to gain momentum back with a 9-3 run, cutting the lead down to 17 points. Fields halted the SCSU swing, draining a shot from behind the arc, allowing NSU to take a 45-25 advantage into the locker room.
Clark continued the strong offensive day for the Spartans, scoring three of the first four baskets of the second half, giving NSU a 53-27 lead. Johnson scored a pair of layups in the middle of the second quarter, before scoring her 2,000th career point with 1:13 left to play in the third quarter.
NSU extended its advantage to 30 points, its largest of the game so far at the beginning of the fourth quarter, with Fields finding Johnson for the lay in. SCSU gained some momentum, putting up five straight points before Clark knocked down a 3-pointer, ending the Bulldogs run.
Johnson extend the NSU lead to 34 with 3:48 left, before the two teams traded baskets down to the end of the game, as the Spartans extended their winning streak to 14 straight games.
Checking the Box Score
- Da’Brya Clark led Norfolk State in scoring with 20 points, adding four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block to her totals
- Anjanae Richardson (19) and Diamond Johnson (19) also scored in double-figures
- Norfolk State never trailed in Saturday’s win
- NSU produced 21 fastbreak points to SCSU’s one
- The Spartans shot 52.9 percent in the first half (18-of-34)
News & Notes
- Norfolk State improves to 25-4 with the win (12-0 MEAC)
- South Carolina State fell to 2-26 with the loss (1-11 MEAC)
- Norfolk State has now won 25 or more games in three consecutive seasons
- NSU now leads the all-time series with South Carolina State 33-18
- Johnson is also the only active Division I player with at least 2,000 points, 600 rebounds, 390 assists, and 300 steals
Up Next
Norfolk State continues its road stretch, traveling to Durham, N.C. to take on North Carolina Central on Monday, Mar. 3rd at 5:30 p.m.
Source: Norfolk State Athletics/nsuspartans.com
