Norfolk State Men's Basketball
Monday, Feb. 23; 7 p.m.
NSU vs. Delaware State, Joseph Echols Hall
TV: ESPNU | WatchESPN
Radio: Star 1310 AM, Live Audio | Hot 91.1 FM, Live Audio
Live Stats | Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. - After breaking a two-game losing streak with a big victory at Coppin State, the Norfolk State men's basketball team will return to Norfolk for its last home game of the season against Delaware State at Joseph Echols Hall. NSU will honor six players for Senior Night and then take on the Hornets in a key MEAC matchup beginning at 7 p.m. The game will also be broadcast on ESPNU, the first NSU home game on television in four years.
 
The Spartans stand 10-3 in MEAC play and 17-11 overall. With three games left, second-place NSU has a two-game advantage in the loss column over three other teams, two of which the Spartans will play before the end of the regular season. UMES (9-5), Howard (8-5) and Delaware State (7-5) are all chasing NSU for the No. 2 seed in the MEAC tournament. The Spartans need to win two of their last three games of the year to avoid any tiebreaking scenarios for second in the MEAC.
 
Media Coverage
The game will be shown live on ESPNU with Dr. Jerry Punch and Stan Lewter on the call. It will mark NSU's first home game on television since playing South Carolina State on Jan. 24, 2011. Fans can also follow the game live through WatchESPN.
 
The contest with the Hornets will be broadcast live on Star 1310 AM and Hot 91.1 FM with Ross Gordon and Terrell Ducre' on the call. Live audio is available through the Star 1310 website as well as through the Hot 91.1 website. 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.

Fans can also follow along with the live stats here.
 
Series History
NSU has won three in a row over Delaware State to extend its lead in the all-time series to 30-23 in a history that first began in 1962-63. The Hornets won 19-of-23 meetings prior to that three-game win streak for the Spartans.
 
About Delaware State
The Hornets defeated Hampton by three points on Saturday to improve to 13-14 overall and 7-5 in MEAC play. Amere May has scored 69 points in the last two games and ranks first in the conference with 19.8 points per game. Kendall Gray averages 12.2 points, 2.7 blocks and 12.0 rebounds, the latter second in the nation, while Tyshawn Bell also scores in double figures at 10.1 points to go with 5.3 rebounds. DSU averages slightly more than 70 points per game and shoots almost identical to opponents (41.4-41.6 overall, 33.9-33.6 from 3-point range). The Hornets do commit two more turnovers per game (13.7-11.7) than their opposition.
 
Last Time Out
NSU's offense caught fire in the second half on the way to a 99-81 victory over Coppin State on the road on Saturday. The Spartans scored 60 points in the second half after shooting 19-of-27 (70.4 percent) after intermission. NSU hit 34-of-55 for the game (61.8 percent) thanks to the combined efforts of D'Shon Taylor, RaShid Gaston and Malik Thomas. Gaston scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting with 10 rebounds, while Taylor added 23 points on 9-of-14 field goals with eight boards, three assists and two steals. Thomas tallied 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, scoring all 21 in the second half. The Spartans also had a 36-24 edge on the glass and outscored CSU 44-26 in points in the paint. NSU also finished with the second-fewest fouls of the season (12).
 
Player Tidbits
Jeff Short
• Averaging 18.8 points, 53.7 percent shooting, 38.7 percent 3-point shooting, 81.6 percent free throw shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in MEAC games
• Averaging 3.3 assists last eight games and 5.1 rebounds in last seven games
• Shooting 23-of-25 from the free throw line the last three games, including career-high 12-of-14 at Morgan State
• Had a career-high seven assists at Coppin State
• Tallied at least 15 points in 21 of last 23 games; Scored 13 in each of the other two games
• Has scored in double figures in all but one game this year
• Shooting 116-of-202 (57.4 percent) from 2-point range
• Has sank a 3-pointer in all but three games this year
• Ranks 2nd in the MEAC in scoring (19.1), 5th in free throw percentage (83.3), 3-point field goal percentage (39.9) and minutes (33.6), 7th in 3-point field goals (2.1) and 8th in field goal percentage (50.0)
• Stands 27th in the nation in scoring (19.1); Also ranks in total points (17, 534), total field goals (28, 175), free throw percentage (70, 83.3), field goal percentage (84, 50.0), minutes (176, 33:34) and 3-point field goals per game (181, 2.11)
• Ranks 15th in the nation among guards in shooting percentage; Would rank 41st in 3-point field goal percentage but does not have enough makes on the year
• Stands 7th in NSU D-I single season records in points scored (534); Also stands tied for 1st in free throw percentage (.833), 5th in scoring average (19.1), 6th in free throws (125) and 3-point field goal percentage (.399), 8th in 3-point field goals (59), 10th in field goals (175), 11th in 3-point field goal attempts (148), 12th in free throw attempts (150) and 15th in field goal percentage (.500) and field goal attempts (350); Also ranks tied for 3rd in free throw percentage for overall single season records (See table page 6)
 
RaShid Gaston
• Averaging 17.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and shooting 67.9 percent in MEAC games
• Averaging 21.3 points last three games
• Scored a career-high 30 points at Coppin State
• 76-of-112 field goals (67.9 percent) last 11 games
• Hit career-high eight free throws on nine attempts at Coppin State
• 16 10+ rebound games this season
• Has at least one block in 14 straight games
• Has scored in double figures in eight straight and 11 of the last 12 games
• Ranks 2nd in the MEAC in rebounds (9.5), defensive rebounds (6.4) and field goal percentage (62.0), 3rd in offensive rebounds (3.1) and 7th in scoring (15.3) and 8th in blocks (1.2)
• Stands 6th in the nation in field goal percentage (62.0) and 14th in double-doubles (14); Also ranks in total rebounds (28, 247), rebounding (26, 9.5), defensive rebounds (33, 6.42), offensive rebounds (49, 3.08), scoring (176, 15.3) and blocks (190, 1.23)
• Ranks 30th in NCAA Division I in career field goal percentage (.571), 34th in double-doubles (19), 42nd in rebounding average (7.4) and 128th in rebounds (565)
• Stands 6th in NSU records with a .571 career shooting percentage and 18th in blocks (62) (See table page 7)
• Ranks 3rd in NSU D-I single season records in field goal percentage (.620), 4th in rebounding average (9.5), 5th in rebounds (247), 11th in blocks (32) and 13th in field goals (165); Also ranks 6th in field goal percentage for overall single season records (See table page 6)
 
Jamel Fuentes
• Averaging 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and shooting 6-of-10 last two games
• Ranks 3rd in the MEAC in assists (4.3) and 6th in assist-turnover ratio (2.0)
• Stands 84th in the nation in assists (4.3) and 120th in assist-turnover ratio (1.95)
• Ranks 15th in NCAA Division I in career assists (531), 24th in assist-turnover ratio (1.91) and 56th in assist average (4.18)
• Ranks 2nd all-time at NSU in assists with 531 (See table page 7) behind Billy Walker (1980-85)
• Stands 3rd in games played (127) at NSU and 10th in career steals (144)
• Ranks 4th in NSU D-I single season records with a 4.33 assist average and 4th in assists (117) (See table page 6)
 
D'Shon Taylor
• Averaging 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and shooting 48.5 percent overall and 38.1 percent from 3-point range in MEAC games
• Averaging 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 50.0 percent and 71.9 percent at the free throw line in the last seven games
• Scored 23 points at Coppin State, the second-most in his career
• 1+ blocks in seven of last nine games
• Ranks 8th in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage (38.1), 13th in field goal percentage (45.2) and 14th in scoring (12.9)
• Ranks 222nd in the nation in double doubles (3)
• Stands 13th in NSU D-I single season records with a .381 3-point field goal percentage (See table page 6)
 
Malik Thomas
• Ranks 13th in the MEAC in blocks (1.0)
• Tied career high with 21 points at Coppin State, all in the second half
• Became first NSU player to score 20 points in a half since Pendarvis Williams had 20 in the second half against Newberry on Nov. 13, 2013
• Averaging 2.6 assists in the last five games
• Stands 15th in NSU D-I single season records with 25 blocks (See table page 6)
 
Jordan Butler
• 4.0 rebounds in 13 games played from Dec. 22-Feb. 14
• Ranks 9th in the MEAC in blocks (1.1) and 213th in the nation (1.15)
• Stands 12th in NSU D-I single season records with 31 blocks (See table page 6)
 
LaTre'e Russell
• Averaging 3.6 points, 2.3 rebounds in last 11 games played
 
Devonte Banner
• Averaging 4.8 points on 7-of-14 field goals in the last four games
 
MEAC Standings
The Spartans stand alone in second place in the MEAC at 10-3, while North Carolina Central sits in first at 13-0 and is locked in for the No. 1 seed in the MEAC tournament. NSU has a two-game lead for second place in the MEAC, with UMES (9-5), Howard (8-5) and Delaware State (7-5) all sitting with five losses in conference play. UMES would own any head-to-head tiebreaker with NSU. The Spartans defeated Howard earlier this year and play the Bison again in a week. With a victory, DSU would own the tiebreaker with NSU. A Spartan win against the Hornets would guarantee NSU a top 4 seed in the tournament and thus a first-round bye.
 
Offense on Fire
NSU's 99-81 win over Coppin State on Saturday marked the most points the Spartans scored in a regulation game against a Division I opponent since a 102-86 victory over UMES on Feb. 12, 2000.
 
NSU also scored 60 points and shot 70.4 percent (19-of-27) in the second half. It marked the most points scored in a half since tallying 64 in the second half against Newberry last year and the most against a D-I opponent since posting 69 in the second half against Coppin State on Jan. 30, 2012. It marked the seventh time since 2002-03 that NSU has shot 70 percent in a half and the third time scoring at least 60 points.
 
Good Shootin'
For the fifth time this year, the seventh time in the past two seasons and the 11th time in the Division I era, NSU hit better than 60 percent from the floor, shooting 34-of-55 (61.8 percent) at Coppin State. It marked the eighth-best percentage in D-I history.
 
NSU hit a Division I record 65.9 percent (29-of-44) at South Carolina State. This year NSU also has posted D-I top-10 performances against Morgan State (63.3 percent, 31-of-49, 4th highest), at Savannah State (62.2 percent, 28-of-45, 6th highest), at Coppin State (61.8 percent, 34-of-55, 8th highest) and against North Carolina A&T (60.9 percent, 28-of-46, 9th highest).
 
Winning Big in the MEAC
Overall in conference play, NSU is averaging 74.7 points per game while shooting 52.0 percent overall and 36.7 percent from 3-point range. NSU has outrebounded foes by an average of 6.4 boards per contest while also holding them to 39.0 percent shooting and 28.3 percent from beyond the arc. Eight of NSU's 10 MEAC wins have been by double digits, the first time in the Division I era the Spartans have won eight conference games by 10 or more points and the first time overall since 1995-96.
 
Best in the Conference
Since the start of the 2011-12 season, NSU is 50-11 in regular season conference play (24-7 at home, 26-4 on the road), second in the MEAC over that period of time behind North Carolina Central (53-8). Counting MEAC tournament games, the Spartans are 55-13, while the Eagles are 57-10 during that time.
 
Conference Streak
NSU has already secured its 17th straight season with a .500 or better record in the MEAC. In fact, in Norfolk State's 60 seasons in a conference including this year, the program has had just one losing conference record (9-10 in the CIAA in 1990-91).
 
NSU is tied for 10th in the nation with Wisconsin and Florida for the longest streak of .500-or-better conference records in a row (See table page 6). Coming into the year, only nine other schools had longer Division I streaks than the Spartans. NSU has posted 23 straight .500 or better conference records, dating back to its D-II CIAA days.
 
Winning Record
NSU secured its fourth straight winning season with the victory at Coppin State. Prior to the start of that streak in 2011-12, NSU had a winning record just twice in 14 seasons since moving to Division I in 1997. The Spartans own an 83-48 record over the last four seasons, the best four-game stretch for the program since 1993-97 (94-26).
 
MEAC Rankings
The Spartans rank No. 1 in the MEAC in rebounding margin (+5.0) and blocks (5.2). They also stand second in scoring margin (+4.1), field goal percentage (47.1), defensive rebounds (25.2), defensive rebound percentage (69.9) and assist-turnover ratio (1.0), as well as third in scoring offense (69.9), rebounding (36.1), opponent rebounding (31.1) and assists (13.6).
 
NSU is the only school in the MEAC with three players ranked in the top 15 in scoring.
 
Better From the Line
After hitting less than 70 percent from the free throw line in 12 of the prior 13 games, NSU has now shot a combined 68-of-85 (80.0 percent) over the last three games. The team's 30-of-39 effort at Morgan State marked the most makes and attempts since setting the school records during a 41-of-62 night against Florida A&M on Dec. 5, 2013. The 22-of-25 effort at Coppin State (88.0 percent) marked the seventh-best shooting percentage in a game in the Division I era and the best since November of 2008.
 
The Magic Mark
RaShid Gaston (30), D'Shon Taylor (23) and Malik Thomas all reached the 20-point plateau at Coppin State, the seventh time this season NSU teammates reached 20 points in a game. It also marked the first time the Spartans had three players reach 20 points since Kyle O'Quinn (26), Pendarvis Williams (20) and Chris McEachin (20) did so in the 86-84 upset of Missouri in the NCAA tournament in 2012.
 
Lend a Helping Hand
Norfolk State's current 13.6 assists-per-game rate is behind the D-I record of 13.8 set in 1998-99 and last year's mark of 13.7, the most since that 1998-99 campaign. NSU had 26 assists at Coppin State, surpassing the previous D-I record of 25 set against Stillman College on Nov. 26, 2013. The Spartans also finished with a better than 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio (26-12), the second time this season doing so.
 
Breaking a Slump from 3
NSU shot 14-of-68 (20.6 percent) from 3-point range in a four game stretch from Jan. 31-Feb. 14 after shooting 20-of-38 (52.6 percent) in the three games prior. But against Coppin State on Saturday, NSU connected on 9-of-16 from long range, the second-best shooting mark this year and tied for the 11th-best in Division I history.
 
On Fire
NSU's current 47.1 percent clip from the field is best since the Spartans connected on 48.1 percent of their shots in 1998-99. The team's 34.7 percent effort from 3-point range is slightly behind last year's 35.2 percent clip, the best since 1998-99 (35.7).
 
So far this season, the Spartans are 16-2 when they outshoot their opponents from the floor and 14-0 this year when outshooting teams from 3-point range.
 
Winning the Rebounding Battle
The Spartans have had the rebounding edge or been even on the glass in 22 of the 28 games this year. Dating back to last season, it also includes 33 of the last 40 opponents. On the season, the Spartans have a +5.0 rebounding margin, although NSU has grabbed only one more offensive rebound total than the opposition.
 
Nationally Ranked
The Spartans rank 23rd in the nation in blocks (5.2) as well as in the top 150 in total blocks (18, 145), rebound margin (37, +5.0), field goal percentage (37, 47.1), defensive rebounds (65, 25.21), field goal percentage defense (88, 40.8), total rebounds per game (94, 36.11), scoring offense (112, 69.9), assists (112, 13.6), win-loss percentage (115, 60.7) and scoring margin (121, +4.1).
 
Block Party
Over the last 16 contests, the Spartans are averaging 6.4 blocks per game and have outblocked the opposition by a collective 103-52 margin. NSU had 10 at Savannah State, tied for the most in a game over the past 10 years.
 
Balanced Scoring?
NSU has four players averaging better than nine points per game, including leading scorer Jeff Short (19.1) as well as RaShid Gaston (15.3), D'Shon Taylor (12.9) and Malik Thomas (9.7). After those four, though, the next highest scorer is LaTre'e Russell at 3.0 points. Six players have tallied between 2.1 and 3.0 points per contest. NSU is getting outscored 20.1-14.3 in bench points this year.
 
A year after losing nearly 80 percent of its scoring from its senior class, NSU is now getting 79.0 percent of its scoring (1546-of-1958 points) from just four players. Those four have also combined for 79 of the team's 83 total double-digit scoring performances this year.
 
Better After the Break
NSU has tallied more points in the second half than the first half in 19 of the last 25 games. On the season, NSU has scored 113 more points in the second half than the first.
 
Specialty Stats
NSU has outscored the other team by an average of 6.9 more points in the paint (31.1-24.2). On the year, NSU has outscored or been even against 23 of its 28 opponents in points in the paint, including 11 straight from Nov. 22-Dec. 22. NSU has averaged 33.9 points in the paint in the last seven games.
 
Opponents have attempted 142 more 3-pointers on the season than NSU.
 
Ahead at the Half
The Spartans are 67-10 since the start of the 2011-12 season when leading or tied at the half. They also have four wins this year when trailing at the half after winning just one game last year.
 
Get to 20
NSU has had a 20-point scorer in 19 contests this year and 26 overall 20-point performances in 28 games.
 
Doubling Up
The Spartans have had 20 double-doubles on the season this year, including the most recent, a 30-point, 10-rebound effort by RaShid Gaston at Coppin State.