Sunday
NSU at Iona, 2 p.m., Hynes Athletics Center
Live Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. - After back-to-back games against ranked opponents, the Norfolk State men's basketball team will continue the road swing with a Sunday afternoon contest against Iona at the Hynes Athletics Center. The game against the Gaels, slated to tip-off at 2 p.m., will mark the third of five straight on the road for the Spartans.

Media Coverage: Both live stats and a live video stream will be available for the game.

Last Time Out: Led by T.J. Warren's 21 points and a 12-point, 19-rebound effort from Richard Howell, No. 25 North Carolina State defeated NSU by an 84-62 score on Dec. 15 at PNC Arena. The Wolfpack hit better than 57 percent from the field with a relentless offensive push.

Malcolm Hawkins had 16 points to lead NSU, while Rashid Gaston added 11 points, six rebounds and three steals. N.C. State outrebounded the Spartans, 42-32, and held NSU to 32.8 percent shooting.

Series History: Iona won both of the previous meetings with NSU during a home-and-home series. The Gaels won on their home court, 80-68, on Nov. 21, 2009, and then picked up the victory over the Spartans, 73-64, on Nov. 30, 2010 at Joseph Echols Hall.

About Iona: The Gaels own a 5-5 record on the year after dropping their last contest at La Salle on Thursday, 88-74. Lamont Jones and Sean Armand led Iona in the first part of the year, averaging 22.0 and 19.5 points per game, respectively. David Laury made his first appearance of the year at La Salle and added 21 points and 14 rebounds. Armand leads the way with 6.7 rebounds, and Jones averages a team-best 4.0 assists. Iona is shooting better than 44 percent and averaging nearly 80 points per game.

Solid 3-Point Defense: NSU held a potent Fighting Illini 3-point shooting squad in check after limiting UMBC to a 0-of-16 effort from beyond the arc in the prior game. Since the 1998-99 season, NSU had never held an opponent to without a 3-point field goal until doing so against the Retrievers on Dec. 9.

The Illinois, meanwhile, entered the contest with NSU ranked first in the nation in 3-point field goals per game (10.8) and 14th in 3-point field goal percentage (40.8). Against the Spartans, Illinois hit just 6-of-23 from beyond the arc, a 26.1 percent clip. Illinois also shot 21-of-60 (35.0 percent) overall for the game, below the team's 46.0 percent average coming into the contest.

The Spartans rank first in the MEAC and 51st in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 28.8. Only one opponent in the last eight games has shot better than 33 percent from 3-point range (N.C. State).

Outshooting the Competition: NSU has outshot the competition in four of the last five games.

Gaston Named Rookie of the Week: Rashid Gaston was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week on Dec. 17 after posting 23 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and one assist in a pair of games at Illinois and N.C. State.

Phelps, Pugh Ready to Go: After sitting out the fall semester due to academics, the duo of Marese Phelps and Quasim Pugh became available for the Dec. 15 contest at North Carolina State.

Good From the Line: Pendarvis Williams ranks first in the MEAC and 14th in the nation in free throw shooting, hitting 93.5 percent of his charity stripe attempts on the year (29-of-31).

March to 1,000: Now with 798 career points, Pendarvis Williams needs just 202 more to become NSU's 30th all-time 1,000-point scorer. He is on course to accomplish the feat late in the season.

The MEAC Leaderboard: Several players have cracked the top 5 in the MEAC statistics, including Pendarvis Williams and Jamel Fuentes. Williams ranks first in free throw percentage at 93.5, and Fuentes ranks first in assists (5.5) and third in assist-turnover ratio (1.9). Brandon Goode sits second in field goal shooting at 60.0 percent. Rashid Gaston ranks third in offensive rebounds with 3.4 per game and tied for fifth in rebounding (7.0).

The Spartans rank first as a team in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (28.8) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (31.5).