Norfolk State participated in the match on Saturday against Maryland in the NCAA female tournament as a considerable assembly. But the Spartans pushed the terraaps to the fourth quarter before losing 82-69.
The first round match took a surprising start with Norfolk State marking the first seven points of the match. The historically black university located in Virginia has also entered the locker room with an advance of 32-30 at halftime.
The Outsider Spartans dragged four points at the start of the fourth quarter.
Although he lost against Maryland, the longtime head coach of the state of Norfolk, Larry Vickers, said that his team had shown that it deserved better.
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Norfolk’s state coach, Larry Vickers, in the second half against Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament, on Saturday March 22, 2025, in College Park, MD. (AP photo / terrance Williams)
“This group won 30 games this year, 27 games last year, 26 games the previous year, and we are still entering these things to obtain respect for the three people on the ground,” said Norfolk state coach. “I’m not going to complain about an officer. This is not what I’m going to do. But when you see all these Spartan heads in your gymnasium, I think we should get a little more respect than us.”
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Maryland had a third solid quarter, making the 12 free throws.
“I’m not saying that we didn’t get fat because it was a great moment. We were probably in fault. I have to watch the film,” he said. “But you cannot send teams to the free throw line – especially also good shooters as they were.”
Norfolk’s state goalkeeper Diamond Johnson (3) shoots the Maryland goalkeeper Sarah Te-Biasu (1) during the first half of the first round of the NCAA tournament in College Park, MD. On Saturday March 22, 2025. (AP photo / terrance Williams)
For the match, the state of Norfolk was whistled for 21 faults against Maryland 12, and the terps went 23 out of 25 on the line. It was an important factor, although Vickers suggested that his team deserved part of the blame.
A match ball with the March Madness logo in the first round of the NCAA 2025 women’s basketball tournament at the Pete Maravich Assembly on March 22, 2025, in Baton Rouge. (Photos Beautiful Brunette / NCAA via Getty Images)
“I’m not saying that the officiants have lost this match to us,” he said. “We have committed a fault. And we committed a fault. And we committed a fault. And we committed a fault. And we hung jump shoots, and we committed more jump shooters.”
Vickers also congratulated the goalkeeper Diamond Johnson, who scored 18 points on Saturday, and pushed back his perceived WNBA recovery stock.
“I watched her go from seventh to the first round, when she got to me, and I fall and fall, and I don’t know why,” said Vickers. “It must be on each list of mid-majeur finalists, each list of finalists for Dawn Staley’s winner, each list of finalists from Nancy Lieberman. She is super special.”
Vickers, who has spent the last nine seasons in the state of Norfolk, has been asked about his future as a coach after all the success he has accomplished in school. On this point, he did not offer much insight.
“We all have visions and goals,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t know. We will see.”
