BALTIMORE, Md. --- The Norfolk State women's basketball team pulled away behind a dominant second-half defensive effort, holding Coppin State to 11 points in a 73-34 win on Saturday afternoon.
 
Da'Brya Clark led the Spartans with 15 points, three rebounds, three steals and three assists. Cire Worley scored 13 points, Jasha Clinton added 10, and Carmen Kweti recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Coppin State opened the game with an 8-2 run in the first quarter before Worley stopped the momentum with a pair of free throws. Norfolk State responded with a 10-4 run, capped off by a Clinton layup to tie the game at 12. Coppin State closed the quarter on a 4-0 spurt and carried a 16-12 lead into the second.
 
Norfolk State took its first lead early in the second quarter when Clark knocked down two free throws to make it 21-20 with 7:24 remaining before halftime. Clinton pushed the Spartans' advantage to six with a pull-up 3-pointer just before the media timeout. Norfolk State continued to build separation out of the break and headed into halftime with a 37-23 lead.
 
The Spartans opened the second half with an 8-0 run to stretch the lead to 22, punctuated by a Clark 3-pointer. Worley added a 3-pointer of her own with 3:07 left in the third quarter to extend the run to 11-0 before Coppin State snapped it with a free throw. Norfolk State closed the quarter with a 3-pointer from Niyah Gaston and took a 56-28 lead into the fourth.
 
Norfolk State dominated the opening six minutes of the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run, capped by a LeAire Nicks layup with 4:23 remaining. Back-to-back layups from Nicks and Kweti extended the lead to 38, and Clark later drilled a 3-pointer to seal the 73-34 win.
 
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE

• Norfolk State defeated Coppin State 73-34
• Clark led the Spartans with 15 points
• Worley (13), Clinton (10), and Kweti (10) each scored in double figures
• Norfolk State outscored Coppin State 36-11 in the second half
• Saturday's game featured two lead changes and one tie
• NSU capitalized on turnovers, outscoring CSU 20-8
• Norfolk State's defense held Coppin State to zero made 3-pointers (0-of-18)

 
NEWS & NOTES

• Norfolk Stats improved to 16-12 with the win (11-2 MEAC)
• Coppin State fell to 9-21 with the loss (6-7 MEAC)
• The Eagles still lead the all-time series 30-23
• Norfolk State earned the season sweep over Coppin State
• The Spartans have now won 11 straight games against the Eagles
• Kweti recorded her first NCAA Division I double-double

 
UP NEXT
Norfolk State closes the regular season at home with a share of the MEAC regular-season title on the line against Howard at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 5, inside Echols Hall.