NSU Men's BasketballEVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Norfolk State men's basketball team will finish out a three-games-in-five-days road trek on Thursday evening when the Spartans face Evansville at 8 p.m. EST at the Ford Center.
Media CoverageThe game will be broadcast live on Star 1310 AM as well as Hot 91.1 FM with Ross Gordon on the call. Live audio is available through
www.star1310.com as well as
hot91.nsu.edu:8000/128. Both feeds are available on smartphones through the Star 1310 website or through
www.TuneIn.com or the TuneIn Radio App (search for "WNSB") for Hot 91.1.
The matchup can also be seen live on
ESPN3, available through the WatchESPN app. Fans can follow along with the live stats at
www.GoPurpleAces.com as well.
Series HistoryThis will mark the third meeting between the two teams, with Evansville coming away with victories in both of the first two meetings. The Purple Aces won 87-69 on Dec. 23, 2010 at home, and they also claimed a victory in the first meeting on Dec. 22, 2007, also at home.
About EvansvilleThe Purple Aces have been led by the two-headed monster of D.J. Balentine and Egidiju Mockevicius on the way to an 8-2 record so far this year. Balentine averages 21.4 points and 5.4 assists per game for an offense that averages 80.9 points and shoots 51.3 percent overall. Mockevicius tallies 17.8 points, 2.9 blocks and 13.8 rebounds, the latter good for second in the nation. He also hits 66.3 percent from the floor, good for eighth in the country. Thanks to Mockevicius, Evansville outrebounds teams by 7.5 boards per game. The Purple Aces also get production out of Jaylon Brown (9.3 points, 52.5 percent shooting), Mislav Brzoja (9.0 points, 50.0 percent shooting) and Adam Wing (7.5 points, 53.6 percent shooting). Evansville shoots just 34.1 percent and tallies 4.4 makes per contest from long range but does have a healthy 1.7 assist-turnover ratio.
Last Time OutNSU was down by as little as four late in the first half on national television at No. 23/20 Cincinnati on Tuesday, but the Bearcats used a 16-2 run in the second half to pull away in a 75-59 win over the Spartans. Farad Cobb and Gary Clark combined for 27 points after the half, in which Cincinnati led 34-26. Cobb scored 20 for the game on 7-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, and Clark added 19 on 9-of-11 from the floor.
D'Shon Taylor led NSU with 14 points, all in the second half.
Preston Bungei picked up the slack in the first half and finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The Spartans shot 21-of-59 (35.6 percent) overall. Cincinnati did plenty of damage in second-chance points, outscoring NSU 23-4.
Player TidbitsJeff Short • Needs 10 points to reach 1,000 for his career (combined NSU and Fordham)
 • Ranks 3rd in the MEAC in scoring (17.2), 5th in 3-point field goal % (43.8), 7th in free throw % (84.3) and 15th in 3-point field goals (1.6); Sits 98 in the nation in free throw % (84.9) and 186th in points per game (16.0)
 • Stands 76th in NCAA D-I in career scoring average (12.5) and 150th in points (990)
 • Ranks 8th in NSU career records in 3-point field goal percentage (.396) and 16th in 3-point field goals (84) and 3-point field goal attempts (212)
D'Shon Taylor • Shooting 42-of-80 (52.5 %) last 8 games
 • Ranks 3rd in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (45.2), 4th in field goal % (48.8), 8th in scoring (14.0) and free throw % (82.9), 12th in offensive rebounds (2.1) and defensive rebounds (4.0), 13th in rebounding (6.1) and 15th in 3-point field goals (1.6); Also sits 122nd in the nation in free throw % (83.7)
 • Ranks 10th in NSU career records in 3-point field goal % (.373), 19th in 3-point field goals (66) and 20th in 3-point field goal attempts (177)
Charles Oliver • Ranks 2nd in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (46.7), 3rd in 3-point field goals (2.3), 9th in field goal % (47.1) and 13th in free throw % (78.4); Sits 225th in the nation in free throw % (79.5)
Zaynah Robinson • 24-3 assist-turnover ratio last 7 games
 • Ranks 1st in the MEAC in assist-turnover ratio (5.0), 5th in steals (1.7), 7th in assists (3.3) and 8th in 3-point field goal % (41.7); Also sits 19th in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.89) and 173rd in steals per game (1.60)
 • Tied career highs with 5 assists and 5 rebounds at Cincinnati
Jordan Butler • Ranks 1st in the MEAC in blocks (2.7), 8th in defensive rebounds (4.4) and 12th in rebounding (6.2); Also stands 21st in the nation in blocks (2.60)
 • Ranks 19th in NSU career records in blocks (62)
Jonathan Wade • Averaging 9.7 points last 3 games on 11-of-24 shooting on 5-of-10 3-point shooting with 3.0 rebounds
Preston Bungei • Averaging 9.5 points last 4 games on 13-of-20 shooting with 4.3 rebounds
So Far So GoodNSU, which ranked 282nd in the nation last year in free throw percentage, has improved its mark from 65.9 to 76.0 percent this season, good for 16th in the nation. The Spartans are attempting to hit better than 70 percent this year for the first time since the 2003-04 season. The school record stands at 72.3 set in 1968-69.
On Sunday against Northern Kentucky, NSU hit 18-of-19 (94.7 percent), breaking the previous Division I best of 94.4 percent (17-of-18) set on Dec. 19, 2006 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Spartans moved to Division I prior to the 1997-98 season. NSU has now hit 49-of-58 (84.5 percent) over the last three games.
Magic NumbersNSU has lost all five games it has been outrebounded but has won four of the five games in which it held the edge on the glass. And predictably, the Spartans have lost every game in which they have been outshot, and they have also been outshot from 3-point range in five of their six losses as well.
Good Shootin'So far this year, Norfolk State is hitting 39.2 percent from beyond the arc with 71 total treys, a year after making 190 for the second-most ever in a season in program history. The Spartans are also shooting close to the same from 3-point range compared to inside the arc (41.5 percent, 159-of-383). NSU's current 39.2 clip from long range ranks 42nd in the nation. The Spartans also have four players ranked in the top 9 in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage and all shooting better than 38 percent.
Better in the 2ndNSU has scored more points in the second half than the first in nine of 10 games this season. On the year, the Spartans are are shooting 43.4 percent overall in the second half and 38.1 percent in the first half, including 46.9 from 3-point range in the second but 30.6 in the first. The Spartans are thus averaging 49.3 points after halftime but just 31.2 before the intermission. NSU also has a +1.7 rebounding margin in the second half but a -1.1 margin in the first.
Limit Those GiveawaysNSU had averaged 11.9 turnovers the last seven games, and the Spartans on the season are averaging 13.1 per contest. The school record for fewest giveaways per game is 13.1 set in 1987-88.
Play FasterNSU is scoring 8.7 fastbreak points per game compare to 5.2 last season.
Good from 3Norfolk State has made a 3-pointer in 191 straight games, dating back to a contest at South Carolina State on Jan. 25, 2010, when NSU finished 0-of-17 from 3-point range.
