Game Notes
NORFOLK, Va. - The Spartan men, winners of three in a row and four out of five, trek to Baltimore, Md. for a televised tilt with two-time defending MEAC champion Morgan State, which is again challenging for the top spot in the conference standings. Tip-off this Saturday is at 1 p.m. at Hill Field House.
NSU (5-13, 3-3 MEAC) topped South Carolina State 84-61 on Monday in the Spartans' last game, getting 26 points and 13 rebounds from Kyle O'Quinn.
Morgan State (9-8, 5-1) has also won four of five after a 74-60 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday to improve to 5-1, one-half game behind Bethune-Cookman (6-1) for the MEAC lead.
MEDIA COVERAGE
• TV: Live on ESPNU (Play-by-Play: Anthony Calhoun; Color: Stan Lewter)
• Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM (Play-by-Play: Chris Park; Color: Ross Gordon)
• Live Audio Stream: http://mmedia.nsu.edu:8089/wnsb
SERIES NOTES
NSU leads the all-time series with Morgan State, 26-11. But the Bears have won the last four meetings, including a pair of overtime triumphs last season. The Spartans' last win over Morgan State was a 71-69 decision on Jan. 14, 2008 at Echols Hall. MSU has also won the last three meetings at Hill Field House, dating to NSU's 81-53 win on Jan. 16, 2006.
SCSU TIP-INS
Some additional notes from NSU's win over S.C. State on Monday:
• Kyle O'Quinn registered his eighth double-double of the season and second in a row with 26 points
and 13 rebounds.
• O'Quinn scored 17 points and hit his fi rst seven shots during the game's first six minutes.
• NSU hit nine 3-pointers, tying the Howard and N.C. A&T games for the most by the Spartans this year. A season-high seven Spartans made at least one 3-point fi eld goal.
• Rob Hampton had a career-high fi ve steals, most by an NSU player this year.
• The 84 points scored marks the second-most scored by NSU this season, behind the 86 scored vs. FAMU on Jan. 10.
O'QUINN AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS
Junior center Kyle O'Quinn reached double figures in rebounds in three straight games and now ranks 27th in the nation this year in that department. He has been ranked as high as seventh in the nation this year. His 9.8 average also ranks second in the MEAC behind the 11.2 average of N.C. A&T's Thomas Coleman. O'Quinn also ranks tied for 14th nationally with 2.9 blocks per game, good for third in the conference. His eight double-doubles are tied for second-most in the MEAC.
O'QUINN'S BLOCK PARTY
Lost in his offensive exploits Monday night vs. SCSU, Kyle O'Quinn also blocked three shots, giving him 53 for the season. That breaks his own single-season Division I school record of 51 that he set last year.
NSU ON ESPNU
This is the third of four NSU games to be televised on ESPNU this season. NSU beat Howard 63-53 on Jan. 17 and S.C. State 84-61 on Jan. 24 in its previous TV games this season. The Spartans are 8-4 all-time on ESPNU (since 2005-06), including a 5-1 mark at Echols Hall. The Spartans' contest at Delaware State on Feb. 7 will also be broadcast on the network.
BOMBS AWAY
NSU got off to a shaky start this season with its long-range shooting, but the Spartans have picked things up considerably as of late. After making a season-low one 3-pointer and shooting a season-worst 6 percent against Hampton, the Spartans have made 26 treys in their last three games, an average of 8.7 per game. They have done that while shooting 45 percent from behind the arc during the streak.
EPIC HEARTBREAKERS
NSU and Morgan State played two memorable games last season, with each going into overtime. Unfortunately for the Spartans, the eventual MEAC champion Bears won both contests in dramatic fashion. Here is a brief look at both games:
• Morgan State 100, NSU 94, OT (Jan. 31, 2010, Echols Hall, Norfolk, Va.): Kevin Thompson
led fi ve MSU players in double figures with 21 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. NSU's #Rob
Hampton# sent the game into OT tied at 85-all by making a 3-pointer with five seconds left in regulation.
NSU held a 90-89 lead with 2:35 left in the OT after a bucket by Michael Deloach, who scored
a game-high 34 points. But NSU made just one field goal the rest of the way.
• Morgan State 88, NSU 87 (Feb. 25, 2010, Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.): MSU led by as
many as 16 points in the second half before NSU rallied. The Spartans then would lead by as many
as four in the final two minutes, only to see MSU send the game into OT after two Troy Smith free
throws with 21 seconds left. In OT, NSU led by three with less than 30 seconds left, but the Bears'
Joe Davis canned a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to tie the game and force a second OT. The second OT went back-and-forth, with NSU claiming an 87-86 edge on Aleek Pauline's layup with nine seconds left. But Smith scored on a layup of his own with four seconds left to clinch the Bears' win. Reggie Holmes led MSU with 25 points and Thompson had 20 and 14 boards. For NSU, Deloach and O'Quinn scored 23 points apiece. O'Quinn also had 11 boards and a career-high seven blocked shots.
