Game Notes
NORFOLK, Va. - After snapping its school-record-tying 11-game losing streak on Monday against Florida A&M, the Spartan men (2-12, 1-2 MEAC) aim for their first two-game winning streak of the season when they take on rival Hampton (12-4, 2-1) in the Battle of the Bay this Saturday. The game gets underway at 6 p.m. at the HU Convocation Center.
Rob Hampton scored 19 points, Kyle O'Quinn had 17 and 13 rebounds, and Aleek Pauline had 14 points and six assists to help NSU top the Rattlers on Monday night. NSU shot 52 percent from the floor while limiting FAMU to 39 percent accuracy. The Spartans also scored 26 points off 20 FAMU turnovers.
Hampton had its modest two-game win streak snapped and suffered its first conference defeat of the year Monday at defending MEAC champion Morgan State, 78-72. Darrion Pellum scored 23 points and Brandon Tunnell 17 for the Pirates, who own the MEAC's best overall record (12-4).
MEDIA COVERAGE
Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM The Game (Play-by-Play: Chris Park; Color: Ross Gordon)
Live Audio Stream: WNSB Online
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/hampton/mbball
SERIES NOTES
NSU leads the all-time series with Hampton, 77-38. The Pirates snapped NSU's four-game winning streak in the series with a 73-70 win on March 11, 2010 in the MEAC Tournament quarterfinals. NSU has swept the regular-season meetings between the teams each of the last two years. NSU head coach Anthony Evans is 4-3 in his tenure vs. Hampton.
FAMU TIP-INS
Some additional notes from NSU's win over Florida A&M on Monday:
• The Spartans scored a season-high 86 points and shot 52.3 percent, their second-highest percentage of the year.
• O'Quinn registered his sixth double-double of the season but his first since Dec. 12 at Maine.
• O'Quinn blocked five shots for the second straight game. His season high is six vs. Iona.
• Rob Hampton had a season-high seven assists, matching his career high.
• Tim Zephyr notched season highs in points (six) and rebounds (six).
• Malik Johnson scored his first career points on a 3-pointer in the final minute.
O'QUINN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Junior center Kyle O'Quinn grabbed 13 rebounds Monday against FAMU and now ranks 32nd in the nation this year with an average of 9.6 He has been ranked as high as seventh this year. His 9.6 average also ranks second in the MEAC behind the 10.7 average of N.C. A&T's Thomas Coleman.
O'Quinn also ranks tied for 19th nationally with 2.7 blocks per game, good for third in the conference. His six double-doubles rate as the third-most in the MEAC.
INSIDE THE BATTLE OF THE BAY
So named because of the school's close proximity to each other and the waterways of Hampton Roads, the Battle of the Bay is one of the renowned rivalries in all of HBCU athletics, as well as the state of Virginia. On the hardwood, the schools first met in the 1958-59 season, with HU winning 87-66. NSU, however, holds a 77-38 edge all-time.
The last three regular-season series have all ended in sweeps. In 2007-08, the Pirates won both meetings. In 2008-09 and 2009-10, NSU won both regular-season meetings. Hampton got a measure of revenge last year, however, by winning 73-70 in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C. behind Darrion Pellum's 19 points. Rob Hampton scored 20 for NSU.
MCEACHIN PROVIDES A BOOST
NSU got a big boost when Norfolk native and Radford transfer Chris McEachin made his Spartan debut on Dec. 20 at U.Va. He scored 11 points in 29 minutes off the bench, hitting 4-of-8 from the floor in his first collegiate action in a year and a half. He has now scored in double figures in three of his six games as a Spartan and is averaging 11.3 per game.
McEachin lettered two years at Radford University in Radford, Va. (2007-09) before transferring to NSU for the second semester last year. He had to sit out the first semester of this season. McEachin averaged 8.7 points per game as a sophomore at Radford in 2008-09, helping the Highlanders reach the NCAA Tournament. The 6-5 McEachin, an all-region player at nearby Norview High School in Norfolk, scored 18 points in Radford's Big South Conference championship game victory over VMI in 2009. McEachin is classified as a junior.
