NSU Men's BasketballEL PASO, Texas - The Norfolk State men's basketball team will take part in the nation's oldest holiday basketball tournament, the 54th annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational. The Spartans will face host UTEP on Monday at 9 p.m. EST at the Don Haskins Center and then either Sam Houston State or UC Irvine on Tuesday at 7 or 9 p.m. before heading home for the holiday break.
Media CoverageFans will be able to follow the action with the live stats for Monday's game at
www.UTEPAthletics.com. Live video will also be available
here.
Series HistoryThis will mark the second meeting between NSU and UTEP. The Miners won the first meeting by a 93-56 score on Dec. 28, 2009 during NSU's first visit to the Sun Bowl Invitational.
About UTEPThe Miners will be looking to break a four-game losing streak after they opened the season with six straight wins, including an 18-point victory over MEAC opponent Florida A&M at home. Lee Moore (14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds) and Earvin Morris (14.3 points) pace an offense that tallies more than 74 points per game. UTEP also gets scoring out of Dominic Artis (10.7 points, 5.2 assists), Hooper Vint (10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds) and Terry Winn (9.4 points, 5.7 rebounds). The team only averages 31 percent shooting from long range but also holds teams to a similar clip and less than 40 percent overall. Opponents have gotten the upperhand on the Miners on the glass (-3.5 rebounding margin), but UTEP has also forced those teams to turn the ball over nearly 17 times per contest.
Last Time OutNSU held a one-point lead at the break but saw Evansville outscore them 48-33 in the second half in an 84-70 loss to the Purple Aces on Thursday at the Ford Center. The Spartans erased a five-point first half deficit and were up by as much as six. Evansville, though, used a 17-2 run that covered both halves to take control. NSU cut the margin to as little as five midway through the second stanza before the Purple Aces pulled away for good. On the night,
Jeff Short led the Spartans with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while juniors
Jonathan Wade (14 points) and
Preston Bungei (10 points) also reached double figures while combining to shoot 9-of-12 from the floor. The Spartans hit 52 percent as a team (26-of-50), but Evansville did even better at 60 percent (30-of-50). D.J. Balentine had 26 points to lead the Purple Aces.
Player TidbitsJeff Short • Reached the 1,000-point plateau (combined NSU and Fordham) with his 22-point outing at Evansville; Marked his 19th career 20-point game
 • Needs 170 points to reach 1,000 for his NSU career; Attempting to become 35th all-time 1,000-point scorer at NSU and the seventh to do so in two years (Ralph Tally, David Pope, James Grant, Damian Woolfolk, Corey Williams, Marcus Whitfield)
 • 14-of-15 from the free throw line the last 4 games
 • 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 67th in the nation in free throw % (85.7) and 150th in points per game (16.5)
 • Stands 74th in NCAA D-I in career scoring average (12.7) and 143rd in points (1,012)
 • Ranks tied for 7th in NSU career records in 3-point field goal percentage (.397), 15th in 3-point field goal attempts (219) and 16th in 3-point field goals (87)
D'Shon Taylor • 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 104th in the nation in free throw % (84.1)
 • Ranks 10th in NSU career records in 3-point field goal % (.371), 19th in 3-point field goals (66) and 20th in 3-point field goal attempts (178)
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 234th in the nation in free throw % (78.6)
Zaynah Robinson • 24-3 assist-turnover ratio last 8 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 16th in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.89) and 187th in steals per game (1.55)
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 32nd in the nation in blocks (2.36)
 • Ranks 19th in NSU career records in blocks (62)
Jonathan Wade • Averaging 10.8 points last 4 games on 15-of-29 shooting (51.7 percent) and 7-of-13 3-point shooting with 2.5 rebounds
 • Career high 14 points at Evansville
Preston Bungei • Averaging 9.6 points last 5 games on 18-of-27 shooting (66.7 percent) with 4.0 rebounds
 • Career-high 13 points at Cincinnati; Career-high 4 blocks at Evansville
So Far So GoodNSU, which ranked 282nd in the nation last year in free throw percentage, has improved its mark from 65.9 to 76.5 percent this season, good for 12th 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 Dec. 13 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 61-of-72 (84.7 percent) over the last four games.
Magic NumbersNSU has lost all six 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 six of their seven losses as well.
Good Shootin'So far this year, Norfolk State is hitting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc with 77 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 (42.9 percent, 179-of-417). NSU's current 39.1 clip from long range ranks 44th 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 40 percent.
Better in the 2ndNSU has scored more points in the second half than the first in nine of 11 games this season. On the year, the Spartans are are shooting 43.8 percent overall in the second half and 39.5 percent in the first half, including 44.8 from 3-point range in the second but 32.6 in the first. The Spartans are thus averaging 38.7 points after halftime but just 31.7 before the intermission.
Limit Those GiveawaysNSU had averaged 12.0 turnovers the last eight 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.
Turn Up the DefenseThe Spartans have tallied 7.5 steals the last four games.
Play FasterNSU is scoring 8.3 fastbreak points per game compare to 5.2 last season.
Block PartyNSU ranks 109th in the nation with 4.3 blocks per game.
Ahead at the HalfThe Spartans are 71-12 (85.5 winning percentage) since the start of the 2011-12 season when leading or tied at the half. NSU lost its first game this season when ahead at the break in the setback at Evansville.
