Norfolk State Men's BasketballNORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State men's basketball team will attempt to sweep its second straight MEAC weekend while maintaining second place in the league when Savannah State comes to Joseph Echols Hall on Monday night. The two teams will tip-off at 8 p.m. or approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game.
NSU sits in second in the leauge at 5-1 behind leader Hampton (7-0). Howard (3-1) and South Carolina State (5-2) are the next highest teams in the standings behind the Spartans, who have won four of their past five games.
The game against Savannah State has been designated Public Service Night.
Media CoverageThe game will be broadcast live on Star 1310 AM as well as Hot 91.1 FM with Ross Gordon and Aaron Clark 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.
Fans can also follow along with the
live stats and the
live video feed. The live video feed also carries the radio broadcast.
Series HistorySavannah State is the MEAC school the Spartans have played the least by far, as this will only be the 11th meeting between the two programs. NSU owns a 7-3 edge in the series and has won all seven meetings while a Division I program, dating back to the 2004-05 season. The Tigers' three wins came in the late 1950s and early 60s before a 44-year gap until the next meeting.
About Savannah StateThe Tigers fell to Hampton on Saturday by a 75-52 margin to fall to 3-3 in the league and 7-10 overall. Savannah State enters Monday's game averaging just 62 points while giving up more than 71 per game. The Tigers do not shoot well in any of the three phases (39.9 percent overall, 30.6 from 3-point range, 62.6 from the foul line) while averaging 15.6 turnovers per game and getting outrebounded by five boards per contest. Opposing teams do turn it over nearly 15 times against the Tigers, who are led offensively by Troyce Manassa (12.7 points) and Christopher Martin (12.6). Lenjo Kilo (8.9 points) is the only other player averaging even five points per game. He is also tied for the team lead with 5.1 rebounds, while Martin leads the way with 2.3 assists.
Last Time OutNSU tied the school record for 3-pointers with 14 and used a first half in which it outscored South Carolina State 51-35 to earn an eventual 87-74 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday night at Joseph Echols Hall. NSU hit 10 3-pointers in the first half and had six players reach double figures in scoring. The Spartans shot 50 percent on 32-of-64 shooting, including better than 60 percent in the first stanza.
Charles Oliver led NSU with 19 points, thanks in part to a 6-of-12 effort from the 3-point line.
D'Shon Taylor and
Zaynah Robinson each had 13 points, and
Preston Bungei,
Alex Long and
Jonathan Wade tallied 10 points each. The Spartans outscored the Bulldogs 30-9 in points off turnovers.
MEAC StandingsHampton currently leads the MEAC at 7-0, with NSU second at 5-1. Howard (3-1) and South Carolina State (5-2) sit third and fourth, respectively, and are the only other schools above .500 on the season. The Spartans have finished no worse than tied for third each of the last four years as well as fourth or better in eight of the last nine seasons.
Player TidbitsJeff Short • Needs 32 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)
 • Ranks 4th in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (39.6), 5th in free throw % (83.3), 7th in scoring (16.0) and 8th in 3-point field goals (2.1); Sits 92nd in the nation in free throw % (83.3) and 189th in points per game (16.0)
 • Stands 86th in NCAA D-I in career scoring average (12.9) and 132nd in points (1,150)
 • Ranks 2nd in NSU career records in free throw % (.825), 8th in 3-point field goal percentage (.395), 11th in 3-point field goals (111) and 12th in 3-point field goal attempts (281)
 • Averaging 2.6 assists last 10 games and 4.7 rebounds last 9 games
 • Has made a 3-pointer in 11 straight games; Shooting 11-of-29 last 4 games
D'Shon Taylor • Has scored in double figures in 5 of the last 6 games and averaging 13.0 points last 2 games while shooting 7-of-15 overall and 4-of-10 from 3-point range
 • Ranks 8th in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (36.8), 10th free throw % (79.4), 12th in field goal % (44.8) and 20th in scoring (11.8); Also sits 198th in the nation in free throw % (79.4)
 • Ranks 14th in NSU career records in 3-point field goal % (.359), 17th in 3-point field goal attempts (209) and 18th in 3-point field goals (75)
Charles Oliver • Averaging 19.7 points last 3 games while shooting 18-38 overall and 14-29 from 3-point range
 • Ranks 7th in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (37.4), 8th in free throw % (81.1), 11th in 3-point field goals (2.0) and 15th in scoring (13.0); Sits 155th in the nation in free throw % (81.1)
 • Tied career high with 6 3-pointers vs. South Carolina State
Zaynah Robinson • 50-7 assist-turnover ratio last 18 games
 • Has a 4.69 assist-turnover ratio for the season; Would rank 6th in the nation but is just short of the 3.0 assists-per-game qualifying mark
 • Averaging 10.7 points, 4.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds the last 3 games; Tied career high with 13 points against South Carolina State
 • Has made a 3-pointer in 10 of the last 11 games; Has hit 17 of his last 18 free throw attempts
 • Ranks 3rd in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (43.4), 5th in steals (1.5) and 11th in assists (2.9); Stands 176th in the nation in steals per game (1.48)
Jordan Butler • Ranks 3rd in the MEAC in blocks (2.0), 8th in defensive rebounds (4.5), 9th in rebounding (6.6) and 12th in offensive rebounds (2.1); Also stands 42nd in the nation in blocks (2.00)
 • Ranks 11th in NSU career records in blocks (78)
Preston Bungei • Averaging 11.0 points on 10-of-16 shooting with 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists last 3 games
 • Ranks 9th in the MEAC in blocks (1.0)
Jonathan Wade • Averaging 10.7 points on 11-of-22 field goals last 3 games
Alex Long • Averaging 10.6 points on 20-of-27 shooting and 5.4 rebounds last 5 games
 • Ranks 13th in the MEAC in blocks (0.8)
 • Has hit 15 of last 16 free throws
Good from the LineNSU, which ranked 282nd in the nation last year in free throw percentage, has improved its mark from 65.9 to 77.9 percent this season, which currently ranks second in the nation to St. Bonaventure (78.0). 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. NSU has hit 104-of-129 (80.6 percent) over the last five games. In addition, the Spartans have shot 106-of-127 (83.5 percent) in the last five minutes of its games this year.
Good From Long RangeSo far this year, Norfolk State is hitting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc with 158 total treys. NSU's current clip from long range ranks 54th in the nation. The school's Division I records stand at 35.7 percent set in 1998-99, and 198 total 3-pointers in 2011-12.
NSU first broke the school record with 14 3-pointers against DePaul, topping the previous best of 13 set against North Carolina A&T on Feb. 24, 2007. The Spartans then tied that record with 14 against South Carolina State while also tying the record for attempts with 32 set against Coppin State on Jan. 30, 2012. NSU also made 11 3-pointers at South Carolina and at North Carolina Central, tied for the seventh-most in a game in school history.
Share the BallIn each of the last three games, NSU has had five players reach double figures in scoring, with six players doing so against South Carolina State for the first time in two years (Dec. 5, 2013 vs. Florida A&M). It is believed to be the first time in the Division I era the Spartans had five players score 10 or more points in back-to-back games.
Hello ThereNSU has used five different starting lineups in the last seven games and nine altogether this year. The most one starting lineup has been together this year is five games, accomplished with two different lineups.
Nice ShootingOver the last five games, NSU is shooting 46.9 percent from the floor (152-of-324).
Rackin' Up the PointsIn three of NSU's wins this year in conference play, the Spartans have scored 87, 88 and 88 points. In fact, NSU has scored at least 70 points in all six MEAC games this year.
Better in the 2ndNSU has scored more points in the second half than the first in 16 of 21 games this season. The Spartans are averaging 39.3 points after halftime but just 32.0 before the intermission. On the year, the Spartans have shot 242-of-299 (80.9 percent) from the free throw line after intermission but just 125-of-172 (72.7 percent) beforehand. The Spartans also have a -2.4 rebound margin in the first half and a +1.6 margin in the second half.
Magic NumbersNSU owns a 3-9 record when it has been outrebounded and is 6-3 in games in which it held the edge on the glass. Most recently, NSU has won its last three games despite getting outrebounded by a collective 23 rebounds. And predictably, the Spartans have been outshot in all 12 losses, and they have been outshot from 3-point range in 10 of their 12 setbacks. In addition, NSU is 7-2 when it holds opponents under 40 percent shooting and 1-11 when opponents hit 40 percent or better. The Spartans have also gone 0-7 when they score less than 70 points in a game.
MEAC RankingsThe Spartans continue to lead the league in 3-point field goal percentage (37.7), with the second highest team at 35.5. NSU also ranks first in free throw percentage (77.9), second in field goal percentage defense (43.0), 3-pointers per game (7.5), opponent rebounding (34.8), blocks (4.4) and assist-turnover ratio (0.9) and third in rebounding margin (-0.8).
Limit Those GiveawaysThe Spartans on the season are averaging 12.7 turnovers per contest. The school record for fewest giveaways per game is 13.1 set in 1987-88. NSU has committed just 11.4 turnovers the last nine games. On the flip side, NSU is averaging 18.2 points off turnovers the last six games, including 30 against South Carolina State, the most since having 34 against Pfeiffer in November of 2014.
Block PartyNSU ranks 78th in the nation with 4.4 blocks per game. The top 4 seasons in NSU history in terms of total blocks have all come within the last five years. The Spartans have averaged 161.0 blocks per season over those last five years and currently have 93 for this season.
Ahead at the HalfThe Spartans are 73-12 (85.9 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. The Spartans are 6-1 this year when leading or tied at the half but just 3-11 when trailing.
