Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. - NSU and Virginia Tech meet for the first time on the hardwood this Sunday in Blacksburg. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum. Both teams enter with 6-3 overall records.

NSU has won two in a row and three of its last four following an 82-67 win over MEAC foe South Carolina State on Monday night. The 82 points are a season high for the Spartans, who placed five players in double fi gures for the first time this season. Pendarvis Williams led the way with a career-high 20 points, while Kyle O'Quinn had 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

The Hokies broke a two-game losing skid with a 78-67 win at Rhode Island on Wednesday behind 24 points from Erick Green.

MEDIA COVERAGE
TV: Live on ESPN3.Com
Live Statistics: www.hokiesports.com

SERIES NOTES
This is the first-ever meeting between NSU and Virginia Tech. The Spartans are 0-6 all-time against teams currently in the ACC: 0-2 vs. Maryland and 0-1 against Clemson, Miami, N.C. State and Virginia. Last year's 50-49 loss at U.Va. on Dec. 20 was the Spartans' first game against an ACC opponent to be decided by fewer than 18 points. NSU's margin of defeat against ACC teams is 21.8 points per game.

QUICK START
The Spartans are off to their first 6-3 start since 1996-97, the team's last season in Division II. The last time NSU won at least seven games in its fi rst 10 contests of a season was 1995-96 (9-1). NSU is also off to its first 2-0 MEAC start since 2007-08, Anthony Evans' first at NSU.

RESURGENT DEFENSE
Defense has played a key for NSU this season. After allowing 99 points in the opener to Marquette, NSU's next five opponents each shot worse than 40 percent and scored 63 points or less. In the latest NCAA stats report (through Dec. 4), the Spartans rank 13th nationally in 3-point defense. 22nd in blocks, and 65th in field goal percentage defense.

That is a stark contrast to last season. In NSU's 20 losses in 2010-11, the Spartans gave up an average of 80.6 points per game, 47 percent field goal shooting, and 42 percent 3-point shooting. In all during the 2010-11 campaign, the Spartans ranked 305th in the nation out of 336 in scoring defense (74.7 ppg) and 276th in 3-point percentage defense (36.4). NSU was 10th out of 11 in the MEAC in scoring defense, and last in MEAC-only games.

THE WHEELESS ON THE BUS
The Spartans sorely missed senior swingman Brandon Wheeless in the loss to Elizabeth City State on Nov. 30. One of the team's emotional leaders, the former walk-on missed the game after having a tooth implant put in place the previous day. Wheeless hit his mouth on the floor while diving for a loose ball in the MEAC Tournament back in March, and needed a bone graft to repair some of the damage before having the tooth implant made late last month.

Wheeless quickly made up for lost time, however. In his first game back, and just four days after his oral surgery, Wheeless hit the game-winning 3-pointer against Savannah State with 1.2 seconds left in NSU's 60-58 victory on Dec. 3.

BACK ON TRACK
After tallying just four points and three points before fouling out in the season-opener at Marquette, senior center Kyle O'Quinn is rounding back into form. O'Quinn posted seven
straight double-doubles and eight straight double-figure scoring games since the opener and is up to averages of 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks on the year. He now has 36 career double-doubles and led the nation through games of Dec. 4 in that department.