Da’Brya Clark closes strong December by helping Norfolk State defeat Auburn

The 5’7 Norfolk State sophomore guard is scrappy, resilient and unapologetic. She’s talented, works hard and plays with tremendous heart. With a style that blends finesse with ferocity and an iron will to dominate, Clark has been a pivotal force for the Spartans during a challenging December slate, helping them to five wins in six games.

Clark sank the biggest shot at the perfect time in Norfolk State’s signature 63-57 non-conference victory of the season over Auburn on Sunday afternoon. She capped off a 15-point and five-rebound performance by banking a logo 3-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded. Caitlin Clark would’ve been proud of the basket that gave the Spartans a seven-point halftime lead. It was the momentum Norfolk State used to defeat its second Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent of the season.

After the ball went into the basket, Clark extended both arms skyward and held three fingers up on each hand, reminding the stunned Auburn crowd of what she just accomplished. She then jumped into the arms of some of her happy teammates as she sprinted to the locker room.

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The Spartans are collecting wins over SEC opponents like Christmas ornaments. Their victory over Auburn — a game in which NSU trailed for nine seconds — is a perfect complement to their 54-51 conquest of Missouri on Nov. 10. It was Auburn’s first home defeat this season.

For the Spartans, it was the perfect way to end 2024 by earning a Quad 1 road victory over an Auburn program ranked in the top 50 of the NCAA NET rankings. Clark provided the early spark by scoring seven points in the first quarter. Her backcourt mate, 5’5 graduate guard Diamond Johnson, led Norfolk State with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Tigers.

Beating Auburn required a total team effort especially to overcome DeYona Gaston’s 29 points and 12 rebounds. Even though Auburn was missing three starters, this victory is still a significant achievement for the Spartan program.

Clark’s 7.6 points per game average doesn’t do justice to her impact this season for Norfolk State. In six December games, Clark averaged 9.3 points, including an 18-point performance in a significant road victory over CAA preseason favorite North Carolina A&T on Dec. 15. Three days later, against Drexel, last year’s CAA Tournament champion, Clark grabbed a season-high nine rebounds. She does whatever is needed for the Spartans to have success.

Last season, Clark, along with her sophomore twin running mate, 5’8 sophomore guard Anjanae Richardson, who’s enjoyed many memorable moments this season, was named to the All-MEAC Rookie Team.

“Last year, we were fortunate to have two of the five all-conference freshman players,” Norfolk State head coach Larry Vickers said on the team bus heading to the airport Sunday night to The Next. “They give us a completely different element than our other guards do. I mean, today, Da’Brya was good. Auburn played a style that she likes to see. You can’t press her. You can’t push up on her. She gets to the spots on the floor where she wants, and then she can make open jump shots.”

Clark coming through

Leading Norfolk State with a plus 13 against Auburn, Clark attacks the basket like somebody trying to take her lunch money, driving through contact, absorbing hits, and finishing with ferocity. Defensively, she’s relentless, suffocating opponents with quick hands and sharp instincts while refusing to yield an inch.

According to Her Hoops Stats, Clark’s averaging 0.77 points per play, up .06 from last season. Clark’s effective field goal percentage is 44.2%, up from 33.7% last season. She has scored 34.3% of her points from 3-point distance this year. Only 26.1% of her points were from that range last year. Impressively, Clark’s assist rate is 16.1%.

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Enjoying a successful high school career playing in fiercely competitive gyms as a member of the excellent Baltimore Poly-Tech teams under legendary head coach Kendall Peace, Clark’s competitiveness is deeply personal. For her, basketball isn’t just a game but a way of life, and her toughness isn’t just in the body—it’s in the mind.

She embodies Norfolk State’s edge.

“I would say my confidence has grown,” Clark said to The Next following a victory over Saint Louis on Dec. 7. “I feel like a big part of my confidence was learning and understanding the game at this level. I know where I can score out of my openings and how defenses will play me, I feel like that has helped my confidence. And over the summer, I spent a lot of time shooting and working on my shot.”

The game against Auburn was also personal for Clark and Norfolk State. In its last game against North Carolina, Clark was scoreless, and the Spartans trailed by 21 points after the first quarter and were helpless as their deficit continued growing.

Spartan defense shines

According to Her Hoop Stats, Norfolk State allowed North Carolina to score 1.03 points per possession before rebounding by permitting Auburn 0.71 points per possession. The Spartans held Auburn to a 37.8% effective field goal percentage, the third-best this season.

In addition to holding Auburn to a season-low point total and 36.7% shooting, Norfolk State also dominated the boards, outrebounding Auburn 42-33, scoring 21 second-chance points and 36 points in the paint.

“We came out today with a chip on our shoulder,” Johnson said. “You know, we’re better than what we showed against UNC. We didn’t like the outcome. We practiced, watched film, and made those adjustments quickly. Being on Christmas break gave us time to think and prepare us for being super locked on playing a special defensive game.”

During the third quarter, Norfolk State limited Auburn to 2-for-10 shooting from the field. Auburn had eight rebounds in the third quarter. Eight of Norfolk State’s 14 rebounds in the same quarter were on the offensive end, helping it enjoy a season-best offensive-rebounding percentage of 52.5%.

Johnson and Kierra Wheeler‘s offensive exploits are well-known. Johnson is second in the MEAC in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Wheeler is fifth at 14.4 points per game.

They are on every collegiate mid-major award watch list, but the Spartans know that to accomplish their goals of winning the rugged Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and a few games in the NCAA Tournament, contributions from Clark and Richardson, along with Danaijah Williams, Makoye Diawara, and Niya Fields, will be critical.

Williams scored 11 points in the huge road win over North Carolina A&T. Her six points against Auburn helped Norfolk State win the battle of the benches, 16-10. Richardson, averaging 8.9 points per game, scored 14 points against Drexel and 11 against North Carolina. Fields is the Spartan glue at guard. Diawara is third on the Spartans in rebounding (5.4).

“Whenever we get double-digit scoring from other players, that’s better for us,” Johnson said. “It takes a load off our shoulders, whereas teams have to worry about all five players on the floor. Da’Brya helped us by stretching the floor and hitting shots from her spots. She’s stepping up for us.”

MEAC Challenges Ahead for Norfolk State

Another special trait of Norfolk State this season has been its resilience. The Spartans haven’t lost consecutive games, which is impressive considering that Vickers created a schedule designed to test his program.

“We wanted to challenge ourselves,” Vickers said regarding Norfolk State’s non-conference schedule. “To many people, the SEC is the best in the country, so we try to schedule three of them this year. And we did that with Auburn, Alabama, and Missouri; I thought we fared well in all three games. We won at Missouri. We were down one at Alabama with six minutes left, and today, we got another huge win for our program. I thought today we came in confident and with good energy, leading to our play on both ends of the floor.”

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The Spartans begin MEAC play by hosting Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday afternoon.

Vickers enjoys that his team will embrace being the hunted and get everybody’s best game. With veteran programs like Howard and Coppin State enjoying solid non-conference seasons, the Spartans will be tested. Coppin State beat Arizona State, and Howard dropped a two-point decision against Northwestern.

Morgan State and UMES are significantly improved and talented. Delaware State, North Carolina Central, and South Carolina State will also challenge the Spartans.

“We understand that we have a big bullseye on our backs,” Vickers acknowledged. “People are going to think that we’re going to be able to walk through our league because of the wins that we’ve got, and that’s going to be far from the truth. We will have to work for everything and be ready to compete each night.

“We’ll see athleticism and speed like we haven’t seen before during our non-conference. We’re going to see a grit that we haven’t seen. You know, when you know, when you get the league play, it’s a lot more talking. We will get everybody’s best shot, and we’re excited about that as we try to defend our regular season and the postseason championships. We will take the rest of the season brick-by-brick and continue to build. I know that’s what our athletics director (Dr. Melody Webb) wants to do. That’s what (NSU president Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston) wants to do. We’re just going to continue to do that.”