NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State opens play in the 2016 MEAC Basketball Tournament with a first-round game Monday against the fourth-seeded Lady Eagles of Coppin State. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. at the Scope Arena.
NSU is coming into the tournament riding high following a 71-66 win over Hampton in the regular-season finale on Thursday, while CSU has won six games in a row entering post-season play.
Media Coverage: All NSU games in the MEAC Tournament will be broadcast on WNSB Hot 91.1 FM, with Ross Gordon on the call and Aaron Clark providing color commentary. Also, all MEAC Tournament games will be streamed live on ESPN3, ESPN's broadband streaming service. Links to live streaming and stats are available at the top of the page.
Spartans in the MEAC Tourney: NSU is 16-16 all-time in the MEAC Tournament, with one championship (2002). NSU has reached the MEAC finals on three occasions, losing in 2000 and 2005 and winning the title in 2002. NSU advanced to the semifinals of last year's tourney before losing, 69-64 to UMES in overtime. The Spartans are 0-1 in MEAC Tournament history against Coppin State. The Lady Eagles beat NSU 67-43 in the 2005 MEAC title game at the Richmond Coliseum.
Scouting NSU: The Spartans may enter this week's tournament as the 13th and final seed, but the Spartans will also enter with plenty of momentum following a 71-66 upset of Hampton on Thursday night at Echols Hall in Norfolk. NSU shot 41 percent from the floor - 60 in the second quarter - and hit 82 percent (18-of-22) from the free-throw line to come away with the win and knock Hampton out of a three-way tie for first place.
Kayla Roberts had 16 points and a season-high 16 rebounds,
Siobhan Beslow had 16 points and eight boards, and both
Koryn Lawrence and
Yazmen Hannah scored 12 points each. Beslow (five) and Roberts (three) combined for eight blocked shots. Hannah and Beslow both went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line in the final 20 seconds after Hampton had closed to within three points.
Scouting CSU: Coppin State is perhaps the hottest team in the MEAC coming into postseason play, having won six in a row dating back to mid-February. The Lady Eagles knocked off Delaware State 54-49 in Dover last Thursday to extend their win streak to six. Jordan Swails had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the game for CSU.
CSU has three players averaging in double figures, led by Keena Samuels (11.3), All-MEAC third-team pick Janelle Lane (11.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Amber Griffin (10.2 ppg). The Lady Eagles are second in the MEAC in team field-goal percentage (39.1) and first in steals (10.0 per game). In MEAC-only games, opponents shoot just 34.5 percent against CSU.
All-Time Series vs. CSU: Coppin State leads the all-time series with NSU 26-7 after sweeping the regular-season meetings between the teams this year. In all, the Lady Eagles have won 20 of the last 21 meetings between the teams. NSU's 67-57 win in Baltimore on Feb. 21, 2015, broke CSU's 18-game winning streak in the series. The Lady Eagles have beaten NSU 56-47 on Feb. 22 in Norfolk, and 69-44 on Jan. 4 in Baltimore this season.
All Tournament Games on ESPN3: For the second year in a row, all MEAC Tournament games will be streamed live on ESPN3, ESPN's live sports broadband network. It is available at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection/cable subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is available in over 70 million homes as well as approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks. Fans can also get ESPN3 on Apple and Android mobile devices. In addition, the MEAC championship game will air live on ESPN3 and on a tape-delay basis on ESPNU. Log onto www.watchespn.com for more information.
Hannah Named to All-Rookie Team: Norfolk State freshman guard
Yazmen Hannah was named Friday to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's All-Rookie Team, the league office announced. Hannah played in all 26 regular-season games for NSU and started 20 times. She finished the regular season fourth on the Spartans in scoring, at 8.5 points per game. She also averages 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Hannah leads the Spartans with 31 3-pointers made, and ranks 15th in the conference in 3-pointers per game (1.2). Hannah is NSU's seventh all-time MEAC All-Rookie selection and second in as many years, after
Kayla Roberts earned the honor last year.
Déjà Vu: NSU picked the perfect time to have a flashback to last season in the Spartans' regular-season finale with Hampton last Thursday. For the second straight year, NSU beat a higher-ranked Hampton team at Echols Hall by the exact same score: 71-66. And for the second straight year, forward
Kayla Roberts played perhaps her best game of the year at home against the Pirates. Roberts had career highs of 26 points and 25 rebounds, along with two assists and three blocks, in the win over Hampton on Jan. 31, 2015. This year, Roberts had 16 points, a season-high 16 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in this year's upset win over Hampton.
