Saturday
NSU at Eastern Kentucky, 7 p.m., McBrayer Arena
Live Stats | Live Video | Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. - After being on the road for nearly 9 1/2 out of 11 days to start the season, the Norfolk State men's basketball team will put the short Thanksgiving break behind it for another road trip, this one of the three-day variety to the state of Kentucky.

Up first for the Spartans is a Saturday evening matchup at Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m. at McBrayer Arena. NSU will stay in the Bluegrass state to face Morehead State at 7 p.m. on Monday.

Media Coverage: The game will be broadcast online on the OVC (Ohio Valley Conference) Digital Network, available here. Live stats will be available through the home of Eastern Kentucky athletics.

Last Time Out: UMKC shot an efficient 47.4 percent from the field and went 21-of-29 from the free throw line to negate NSU's huge advantage in shot attempts and offensive rebounds in a 63-57 win over the Spartans last Sunday. The contest served as the consolation game of the Springfield bracket at the 2012 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

NSU outscored the Roos by a 14-1 margin in second chance points thanks to a 15-3 margin on the offensive glass. The Spartans, though, hit just 37.7 percent from the floor. Brandon Goode led NSU with 12 points and six rebounds, while Rob Johnson also joined him in double figures with 11 points.

Series History: NSU and Eastern Kentucky split the first two ever meetings between the teams. EKU defeated NSU by a 67-60 score in the 2005 Paradise Jam, while the Spartans earned a 70-63 victory last year at home.

About EKU: Unlike NSU, Eastern Kentucky has yet to venture away from home, as this will mark the fifth of seven straight games at home for the Colonels to start the year. EKU has remained perfect on the season at 4-0 thanks to Glenn Cosey's 18.8 points per game. Cosey is shooting 50 percent or better from the field and from beyond the arc as well at nearly 79 percent from the foul line. Mike DiNunno chips in with 12.5 points and 4.8 assists per game, while Corey Walden (9.3 points) and Eric Stutz (9.0) also contribute to an offense that has put up 82.0 points per game this year.

Solid Start: Freshman Rashid Gaston proved why the coaches were high on him entering the year, as he posted seven points, seven rebounds and two blocks in just 16 minutes in his collegiate debut at Rhode Island on Nov. 9. Just two games later, he tallied his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds at Longwood, leading the Spartans in both categories. Four of his six baskets against the Lancers came after grabbing an offensive board.

So far this year he ranks second on the team with 10.0 points and leads the Spartans with 8.0 rebounds. He is averaging nearly a double-double his last three games.

More Bench Production: Junior Jamel Fuentes played plenty last year in leading NSU in assists, but he certainly stepped up his game against Rhode Island in the season opener, going for a career-high 11 points off the bench. He also tied his career high with seven boards while adding five assists.

Then against Longwood on Nov. 15, NSU's bench outscored the Lancers 37-8. So far this year the Spartan bench is outscoring its opposition's by 9.0 points per game.

Hitting the Offensive Glass: The Spartans have grabbed 15 more offensive rebounds than their opponents, leading to an 81-50 margin in second chance points on the year, or an average of 6.2 more points per game. NSU ranks third in the MEAC with 15.6 offensive rebounds per game.

The MEAC Leaderboard: Several players have cracked the top 5 in the MEAC statistics, including Brandon Goode, who ranks second in shooting percentage (63.3 percent). Rashid Gaston also stands second in offensive rebounds (3.6) and fourth overall in rebounding (8.0). Both Malcolm Hawkins (tied for fourth, 54.5 3-point shooting) and Pendarvis Williams (fourth in minutes, 35.4; tied for fifth in free throw shooting, 90.5) also sit in the top 5.

March to 1,000: Now with 738 career points, Pendarvis Williams needs just 262 more to become NSU's 30th all-time 1,000-point scorer. He is on course to accomplish the feat in mid-to-late February.