Battle of the Bay
NORFOLK, Va. - It is the date all Spartan fans circle on their calendars. The Norfolk State men's basketball team gets set to host Hampton on Saturday in the Battle of the Bay. Tip-off in the 130th all-time meeting between the two schools is set for 6:30 p.m. from Joseph Echols Hall.
Norfolk State is coming off its first road win of the season Monday at Delaware State, while North Carolina Central made it a sweep of the MEAC Hampton Roads schools with a victory at Hampton the same day. After Saturday, the second half of this year's Battle of the Bay will take place on Feb. 27 at Hampton in the regular season finale for the Spartans.
NSU (2-2 MEAC, 5-13 overall) can move further up the standings with a win, while Hampton (3-1, 6-11) can stay within a game of league-leading Morgan State.
Media Coverage
The game will be broadcast live on Star 1310 AM as well as Hot 91.1 FM with Ross Gordon and Julee O'Neal 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 History
Heading into meeting No. 130, NSU holds an 84-45 lead in the all-time series, which first began in 1958-59. The two teams split last year's meetings, with Hampton winning at home (86-76) and NSU returning the favor on its home court (83-63) in the regular season finale. In fact, that broke an eight-year streak in which one team had swept the other in the two regular season meetings. NSU owes much of its overall series lead to a 32-game win streak that occurred from 1962-63 until 1976-77. The Spartans have won seven of the last 11, as well.
About Hampton
The Pirates fell 64-51 to North Carolina Central on Monday to fall to 3-1 in the league. Like NSU, Hampton has also topped Savannah State and Delaware State this year as well as North Carolina A&T. The Pirates do not shoot well from the field, hitting just 39.7 percent overall and 31.5 from 3-point range. Hampton, which averages 66.2 points per contest, is led by Jermaine Morrow, who tallies 14.8 per game with a team-best 3.1 assists. Lawrence Cooks is the only other player in double figures with 12.5 points, with Trevond Barnes (7.1) and Kalin Fisher (6.9) third and fourth on the team in scoring. Thanks to Charles Wilson-Fisher and AJ Astroth (combined 11.4 rebounds), Hampton owns a slight edge on the glass this year over its opponents, which have averaged 72 points per game against the Pirates.
Last Time Out
NSU led for the entire game but had to hold back Delaware State late to pull out of Dover with a 75-70 win over Delaware State on Monday. The Spartans, who turned the ball over a season-high 20 times, did get clutch free throw shooting late after the Hornets had cut the lead to just one with a minute and a half left.
Zaynah Robinson made 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the last minute to keep the Spartans ahead to the end. He finished with 13 points and 11 assists, while
Jonathan Wade led all players with 20 points.
Jordan Butler tallied 15 points and seven rebounds as well. NSU shot 47 percent for the game and held DSU to 37 percent shooting.
Player Tidbits
Jonathan Wade
 • Had 9th 20-point game of season with 20 at Delaware State
 • Averaging 20.0 points on 17-of-23 shooting last 2 games
 • Has scored in double figures in all 18 games
 • Ranks 3rd in the MEAC in scoring (18.9), 6th in minutes (34.1), 7th in field goal percentage (48.6), 9th in 3-point field goal percentage (38.9), 11th in defensive rebounds (4.2), 14th in free throw percentage (71.2) and 15th in rebounding (5.3)
 • Ranks 62nd in the nation in points (18.9), No. 104 in minutes (34:06) and No. 147 in field goal percentage (48.6)
 • Stands No. 815 in NCAA Division I career records in points (534)
Zaynah Robinson
 • Averaging 14.6 points, 5.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds last 5 games
 • Posted a career-high 11 assists at Delaware State and first career double-double with 13 points; Tied for second-most assists in a game in NSU's Division I history
 • Played all 40 minutes vs. NCCU and has played in a possible 79 of 80 minutes the last 2 games
 • Ranks 19th all-time at NSU in 3-point field goals (72), 3-point field goal attempts (206) and assists (200)
 • Ranks 1st in the MEAC in assist-turnover ratio (3.2), 5th in steals (1.3) and assists (3.7), 8th in minutes (33.1), 13th in 3-point field goals per game (1.9) and 23rd in scoring (11.3)
 • Ranks 21st in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.15), No. 171 in minutes (33:03) and No. 211 in assists (3.7)
 • Stands No. 237 in NCAA Division I career records with 200 assists and No. 929 in points (489)
Jordan Butler
 • Named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday
 • Averaging 7.0 rebounds last 8 games played; 9 blocks last 4 games
 • Ranks 3rd all-time at NSU in blocks (129)
 • Stands 33rd in NCAA Division I career records with 129 total block and with a 1.61 blocks-per-game average, No. 247 in rebounds (406) and No. 1,016 in points (451)
Alex Long
 • Averaging 8.5 points on 14-of-24 shooting and 7.0 rebounds last 4 games
 • Ranks 1st in the MEAC in blocks (1.6) and 10th in rebounding (5.8) and defensive rebounds (4.2)
 • Ranks 76th in the nation in blocks (1.65)
 • Stands No. 1498 in NCAA Division I career records in points (297)
 • Ranks 18th all-time at NSU in blocks (63)
Kerwin Okoro
 • Averaging 14.0 points last 3 games
 • Had first 2 career blocks at Delaware State
Dan Robinson
 • Averaging 4.3 rebounds last 4 games
 • Ranks 3rd in the MEAC (1.4) and No. 138 in the nation in blocks (1.29)
Keep Shooting
NSU has made 49-of-106 (46.2 percent) from the floor over the last two games.
Rejected
NSU owns a 71-40 edge in blocks over the previous 13 games. On the year, NSU ranks 36th in the nation in blocks per game at 5.2 and 43rd with 93 total blocks.
The top five seasons in NSU history in terms of total blocks have all come within the last six years, as the program has averaged 163.3 blocks per season during that time.
Mix and Match
NSU has used 12 different starting lineups in its 18 games this year, including nine during a 10-game span at one point, although the Spartans have used the same starting five in each of the last three games now.
Fast Breaking
NSU has averaged 9.2 fastbreak points the last five games, posting five of its seven best performances of the season in those games.
Clean the Glass
NSU is a combined +12 on the boards the last four games. The Spartans had 53 rebounds against Savannah State, the most in a game since having 55 in a double overtime game at Coppin State on Jan. 31, 2011.
On the year, NSU is a collective +0.1 in first halves but -2.2 on the glass in second periods.
Halftime Adjustments
So far this season, the opposition has scored the same amount or more points in the second half than the first period in 13 of NSU's 18 games. The Spartans, meanwhile, are scoring on average 4.3 more points in the second stanza than the first period.
The Spartans are shooting 43.4 percent overall in the second half, compared to 39.6 in the first. They are also connecting on 39.6 from long range in the second but just 27.2 percent in the first. Opponents are also shooting better in the second half than the first (44.7-42.2), including from 3-point range (37.8-34.3).
Don't Turn it Over
On the year, Norfolk State is getting outscored 16.4-11.3 in points off turnovers. The Spartans have scored in single digits in points off turnovers in six of the past nine games. NSU has had more turnovers than the other team in eight of those last nine contests.
In first halves this year, the Spartans have 36 more turnovers than the opposition, but in second halves that number drops down to just eight.
MEAC Rankings
The Spartans rank first in the MEAC in blocks (5.2) as well as second in defensive rebound percentage (70.8) and third in field goal percentage defense (43.3), opponent rebounding (36.8) and defensive rebounds (25.6).
Series Edge
NSU has a winning record against every school in the MEAC, with several of those series covering a lot of ground in the Division II era. The Spartans' closest rival over the years has been S.C. State, in which NSU now leads 19-18. The next closest rivalry is currently North Carolina A&T (24-20).
Best in the Conference
Since the start of the 2011-12 season, NSU is 66-18 in regular season conference play (33-9 at home, 33-9 on the road), tied with North Carolina Central (66-18) during that time for the best record in the league. Counting MEAC tournament games, the Spartans are 73-21, while the Eagles are 72-22 during that time. NSU also owns a 108-81 overall record since the start of the 2011-12 season, second in the conference to North Carolina Central (117-63).
