Norfolk State Men's Basketball

NSU at Niagara	Saturday, Dec. 10	3 p.m.	Gallagher Center
Live Video	Live Stats	Game Notes

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - With the fall semester in the rearview mirror, the Norfolk State men's basketball team gets back on the road this Saturday when the Spartans play a non-conference game at Niagara beginning at 3 p.m. from the Gallagher Center.
 
The contest marks the first in a stretch in which the Spartans play five of six away from home. NSU is looking to break a six-game losing streak against a team sporting the same record as the Spartans (2-7).
 
Media Coverage
The game can be seen live through Niagara's home for video streaming on Stretch Internet. In addition, Niagara will have live stats.
 
Series History
The two teams have met one other time in their history, an 80-69 victory for the Purple Eagles on Dec. 29, 2009. The game was played on the second day of the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso.
 
About Niagara
The Purple Eagles fell to 2-7 on the season after a 100-72 loss at Kent State on Wednesday night. They do own wins over Drexel and Iona, the latter on the road, while averaging nearly 74 points per game. Nearly half of the team's scoring has come from the duo of Matt Scott (18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists) and Kahlil Dukes (16.2 points). Both shoot at least 40 percent from 3-point range and are a big reason Niagara also hits nearly 75 percent from the free throw line as a team. Marvin Prochet (7.8 points, 5.2 rebounds) and Dominic Robb (7.6 points, 6.2 rebounds) also provide production. Opponents shoot 44 percent from the field but just 31 percent from long range. Niagara is also averaging slightly more than two turnovers per game more than the opposition, which averages only 10.8 giveaways when facing the Purple Eagles.
 
Last Time Out
Down by as much as 17, Norfolk State got to within two in the second half at home against Northern Kentucky, but the Norse held firm to earn a 72-61 win over the Spartans last Saturday at Joseph Echols Hall. NSU's 21-6 run early in the second half helped trim the deficit. The Spartans still trailed by just three with four minutes remaining, but NKU scored eight of the game's next 10 points to put it away. Jonathan Wade led the Spartans with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting with a game-high nine rebounds. Jordan Butler was the only other NSU player in double figures with 10. NKU shot 12-of-26 from 3-point range, compared to just 4-of-18 for the Spartans.
 
Tidbits
Jonathan Wade
• Averaging 22.7 points while shooting 27-of-50 overall and 10-of-20 from 3-point range last three games
• 9 assists last four games
• Ranks 2nd in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage (47.4), 4th in scoring (20.1), 6th in defensive rebounds (4.7), minutes (33.0) and rebounding (6.1), 9th in field goal percentage (49.2), 12th in 3-point field goals (2.0) and 13th in free throw percentage (72.2)
• Ranks 55th in the nation in points (20.1), No. 165 in minutes (33:00), No. 173 in field goal percentage (49.2) and No. 217 in double doubles (1)
 
Zaynah Robinson
• Averaged 11.3 points in three games from Nov. 24-30
• Ranks 7th in the MEAC in steals (1.3) and minutes (32.9) and 12th in assists (2.8)
• Ranks 175th in the nation in minutes (32:53)
 
Jordan Butler
• 9 blocks last four games
• Ranks 3rd all-time at NSU in blocks (119)
• Stands 26th in NCAA Division I career records with a 1.63 blocks-per-game average, 31st with 119 total blocks and No. 244 in rebounds (355)
 
Alex Long
• Averaging 8.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks last 2 games
• Tallied career-high 6 blocks against Northern Kentucky
• Ranks 2nd in the MEAC in blocks (1.7), 10th in rebounding (5.6) and 11th in defensive rebounds (4.0)
• Ranks 88th in the nation in blocks (1.67)
• Named MEAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 5
 
Dan Robinson
• Ranks 7th in the MEAC and 148th in the nation in blocks (1.33)
 
Kyle Williams
• Averaging 11.0 points the last three games on 14-of-30 shooting with 4.0 rebounds
• Had career-best 7 rebounds at Loyola
 
Micah Goss
• Tallied career-high 5 rebounds vs. Northern Kentucky
 
Rejected
NSU owns a 26-8 edge in blocks over the previous four games after being outblocked 15-2 in the prior two contests against Vanderbilt and Butler. On the year, NSU ranks 31st in the nation in blocks per game at 5.4.
 
Pack Your Bags
Starting with Niagara, NSU will play five of six games on the road. It is also part of a larger stretch in which it plays 10 of 12 away from Norfolk before a very friendly home conference schedule in January.
 
Getting Back on Track
After shooting under 40 percent in the previous four games, NSU connected on 25-of-54 (47.3 percent) at Loyola. Still, the Spartans are averaging just 57.8 points per game on 37.6 shooting the last six contests. NSU is +5 on the glass the last two games after going a combined -27 in the previous four contests.
 
The opposition, however, is hitting 46.6 percent during that time, including 44.2 percent from 3-point range.
 
Don't Foul
NSU has committed more fouls than the opposition in seven of its nine games this year but has posted season lows of 19 twice, 17 and then 15 (against NKU) in the previous four contests.
 
Predictable Numbers
NSU shot better from the floor in the loss at Loyola (47.3-46.3 percent), breaking a long streak for the Spartans. Norfolk State had been outshot in each of its previous 22 losses before Loyola, dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season against Eastern Kentucky.
 
The opposite still holds true. The Spartans have had a better shooting percentage than the other team in their last 35 wins. The last time NSU won a game despite getting outshot percentage-wise from the field came in a victory over Saint Peter's on Nov. 29, 2014.
 
MEAC Rankings
The Spartans rank first in the MEAC in blocks (5.4) as well as second in opponent rebounding (35.9), rebounding margin (-1.2) and defensive rebound percentage (69.8), and third in scoring defense (72.1), scoring margin (-6.6), field goal percentage defense (43.1), 3-point field goal percentage (36.1) and defensive rebounds (24.9).
 
Scorers Needed
Coming into the season, NSU players had combined for just two games in which they had led the team in scoring, and both of those came from Jordan Butler last year.
 
So far this year, the opposition's bench is outscoring NSU's, 27.4-19.0. In the past four games, the Spartans have gotten just 11.5 points per game from their non-starters.