NORFOLK, Va. (Interstat) — The Norfolk State Spartans enter the 2026 MEAC Women’s Basketball Championship as a clear favorite, but they will first need to get past a familiar foe in the Morgan State Bears when the teams meet in tournament play Thursday.

The game, scheduled for March 12 at Norfolk’s Echols Hall, is a rematch of a regular-season finale just two weeks prior, which the host Spartans (16-13) won 69-60. Norfolk State also handled Morgan State easily in January, 78-52. The Spartans have won six of their last eight games overall.

Morgan State (5-25) arrives with momentum from its most recent outing, a 64-54 victory over Coppin State on March 5 that snapped a three-game skid. The Bears will lean on guard Kailyn Nash, who scored 15 points in that win and is averaging 14.2 points over her last six contests. She had 26 points in a loss to Howard on Feb. 28.

Norfolk State counters with guard Jasha Clinton, a consistent offensive catalyst. Clinton is averaging 13.3 points and 4.2 assists over her last six games. She posted 19 points in the Spartans’ last game, a 74-59 loss to Howard on March 5.

The Spartans’ defense has been a strength, holding opponents to an average of 53.1 points during their recent 6-2 stretch. They held Morgan State to 60 points or fewer in both meetings this season.

For Morgan State, any path to an upset likely requires a standout performance from Nash and support from contributors like Mihjae Hayes and Jala Bannerman, who each scored 10 points in the win over Coppin State.

The winner will advance in the MEAC tournament, with Norfolk State aiming to leverage its home court and season-long superiority, while Morgan State seeks to defy its record and recent history against the Spartans.