Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State puts its Division I-record seven-game winning streak and perfect 6-0 MEAC mark on the line this Saturday when the Spartans meet rival Hampton in the Battle of the Bay. Tip-off is 6 p.m. at the HU Convocation Center.

NSU (14-5, 6-0 MEAC) extended its winning streak to seven games, longest since 1994-95, with a sweep of Morgan State and Coppin State in Maryland last week. Hampton, meanwhile, lost both of its games to the MEAC's Baltimore schools, including a 68-56 loss at Morgan State on Monday.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM (Play-by-Play: Ross Gordon; Color: Joe Cook)
Live Audio: www.nsuspartans.com (Click “Live Audio” link under Inside Athletics tab)
Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/hampton/mbball

SERIES NOTES
NSU leads the all-time series with Hampton, 77-41. The Pirates have won four in a row in the series, including a regular-season sweep last year and wins over NSU in each of the last two MEAC Tournaments. The Pirates eliminated NSU from the 2011 MEAC semifinals last March 11 with an 85-61 win. The Spartans' last victory in the series came on Feb. 13, 2010, in a 70-66 decision at the HU Convocation Center.

RECAPPING COPPIN STATE
Additional notes from NSU's win over Coppin State on Monday:
• Pendarvis Williams set new career highs with 25 points and six made 3-point field goals.
• Williams' six treys are the most by an NSU player since Corey Lyons made seven against Missouri State on Dec. 20, 2008.
• Kyle O'Quinn tied his career high with 19 rebounds. He has grabbed 19 in a game twice previously in his career, and all three of his 19-rebound games have come against Coppin State.
• The Spartans shot 51 percent from the fl oor, their first time making at least half their shots since shooting 51 percent at Navy on Jan. 1.
• NSU also finished with a season-high 21 assists on its 31 made field goals.
• Jamel Fuentes had six assists, tying his career high from the game before at Morgan State.
• Kyle O'Quinn moved up to 21st all-time at NSU in scoring (1,329 points), passing Johnny McKinney (1,312).

QUICK START
The Spartans' 14-5 start to the season is their best in the program's Division I history. More on the team's fast start:
• The Sparans have won seven in a row, most since the 1994-95 team won 14 straight.
• The last time NSU started a year with 14 wins in its first 19 games was 1995-96. That team began 16-3.
• NSU is off to a 6-0 MEAC start for the first time ever. That tops the previous best, a 5-0 start in 2002-03.
• The Spartans already have Division I wins over teams from six other conferences: CAA (Drexel), Mountain West (TCU), Mid-American (Toledo), Ohio Valley (Eastern Kentucky) and Patriot (Navy). NSU had never beaten teams from either the MAC, Patriot or Mountain West conferences prior to this season.
• NSU surpassed last year's win total (12) with its 13th win, which came on Jan. 14 at Morgan State.
• The Spartans enter the weekend ranked 77th in the RPI. The next-highest MEAC team is Savannah State, at 201.

WORTH EVERY PENNY
Sophomore Pendarvis “Penny” Williams has emerged as a rising star in his first year as a starter. The 2011 MEAC All-Rookie Team member is second on the team and ninth in the MEAC in scoring, at 12.7 points per game. He earned his first-ever MEAC Player of the Week honor for Dec. 26 after averaging 20.5 points in wins over Toledo and St. Francis. Williams has also been key to NSU's current seven-game winning streak. He has either led or tied for the team scoring lead in six of the seven games. Williams is averaging 17.6 points in the last seven contests games while shooting 65 percent from the floor and 55 percent from 3-point range. .

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
NSU has benefited greatly this season from a deep bench. Ten Spartans average double figures in minutes. This season, Kyle O'Quinn leads NSU with 30.4 minutes per game, following Chris McEachin's 30.2. Pendarvis Williams is next at 29.6, and the other seven all average between 11.5 (#A.J. Rogers#) and 22.4 (Marcos Tamares). Many of the Spartans' top 10 can also play multiple positions, giving coach Anthony Evans more flexibility with his lineups.