Norfolk State freshman Anjanae Richardson only needed two games to establish her name with an iconic, unbelievably clutch moment.
The Portsmouth product silenced the Philadelphia crowd with a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final 20 seconds of regulation on Wednesday, lifting the Spartans 51-49 over Drexel at Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Richardson finished the night with 14 points off the bench, draining three shots from behind the arc as Norfolk State improved to 2-0 on the season. Kierra Wheeler scored a game-high 15 points, pulling down nine rebounds.
Crystal White got the game started on the right foot, draining a 3-pointer on the first possession of the night. Drexel responded right back with a mid-range jumper, setting up the back-and-forth battle that would ensue over the next two hours.
A pair of jump shots from Wheeler pushed the Spartan lead to 7-4 early, but Drexel’s Brooke Mullin answered with a 3-pointer to tie things up. Richardson took the reins from there, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the final minutes of the first quarter.
Da’Naijah Williams increased NSU’s cushion to five with a driving layup early in the second quarter, but three consecutive baskets from the Dragons flipped the script. Skye Robinson slowed down the Drexel run with a hook shot in the paint, but a late 3-pointer gave DU a three-point advantage at the break.
Norfolk State’s veteran returners got to work in the third quarter. Wheeler made a pair of jump shots in quick succession before Williams and Niya Fields contributed layups to put the Spartans back in front.
Wheeler continued to dominate the paint, converting a pair of inside scores. Drexel’s Grace O’Neal drained back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Dragons ahead, but Richardson sped through the lane for two points before the quarter ended. Drexel entered the final period with a 38-37 lead.
Momo Laclair and Makoye Diawara traded layups to start the fourth quarter, but the Dragons took a four-point lead with an and-one score. Diawara responded with a three-point play of her own, bringing NSU within one.
Da’Brya Clark gave NSU the lead with three free throws down the stretch, but Drexel took a late lead with several trips to the free-throw line. Richardson stepped up for the first of two clutch shots, scoring in the lane to tie the game 47-47 with under a minute to play.
Drexel stole back the advantage on a driving layup from Amaris Baker, forcing a Norfolk State timeout with under 30 seconds to play.
Facing a double team, Fields dished to the open Richardson, who let it fly from the top of the key. The ball rattled in for the go-ahead points, sending the Norfolk State bench into a frenzy of excitement.
Williams came up with the clutch play at the other end, tying up Mullin for a held ball and Drexel turnover. Richardson went to the line from there, knocking down one-of-two free throws with six seconds remaining, but the Dragons were unable to get a shot off in the closing seconds.
The victory marked Norfolk State’s first ever against Drexel, its only prior meeting, a 54-47 loss in the 2022 WNIT.
Courtesy: Norfolk State Athletics
