NORFOLK, Va. -- The Spartans are back on track, winning their last two games and setting their sights on the Morgan State Bears for a 4 p.m. tipoff on Saturday in Joseph Echols Hall. The Coppin State Eagles then come to town for a 5:30 tipoff on Monday.
 
The Spartans (14-8, 8-1 MEAC) fell short of a historic 7-0 start against N.C. A&T which would have been NSU's best start since joining the MEAC, but will have a chance to pass the best 10-game start in NSU's Division I history. The 1999-2000 squad started 8-2 in MEAC play through the first 10 games. With a win over MSU the Spartans would move to a 9-1 conference record.

Media Coverage
Fans can listen to both games on Hot 91.1 WNSB. You can watch the Morgan State game on NSUSpartans.com, as well as follow the live stats here. The Coppin State game will also be live streamed here, and have live stats. 
 
Series History vs. Morgan State
This will be the 39th time these two teams have met since 1981, and will be the fifth time in the Larry Vickers' era. The Spartans hold a 22-16 series lead, with a 6-4 record in the last 10 matchups.
 
NSU defeated MSU 64-49 in the last matchup between the two teams. La'Deja James scored  eight and had four assists, while Dana Echols added six points along with five assists.
 
A Win over the Bears Would...
Push NSU's win streak against MSU to two games.
 
Give NSU its best-ever 10-game start to a MEAC season.
 
Scouting the Bears
The Bears (12-12, 8-3  MEAC) are coming off an 86-79 win over N.C. Central in their last game. Four players reached double-figures, led by Dahnye Redd's 21 points.

Guard Chelsea Mitchell leads the team with 14.8 points per game, and also is the MEAC's leading rebounder with 9.4 rebounds per game.
 
Redd is the Bears' second leading scorer with 13.2 ppg and is fourth in the MEAC with 7.8 rebounds per game, giving the Bears two of the top five rebounders in the conference.  
 
Ashia McCalla is the team's third leading scorer with 12.5 points per game. She is the Bears' main three-point threat, shooting 49-of-140 (35%) from dowtown.
 
Jihayah Chavis is the fourth leading scorer for MSU, but leads the team with 3.5 assists per game.
 
Series History vs. Coppin State
This will be the 40th meeting between the two teams, and the eighth meeting during coach Vickers' tenure.
 
Coppin State holds a 28-11 series lead overthe Spartans, dominating from 2004-2014 with 18 straight wins. The Spartans have switched the power in the rivalry recently, with four wins in the past five years.
 
The Spartans defeated the Eagles 85-48 in Baltimore earlier in the season.
 
Scouting The Eagles
CSU is coming off a 66-63 win against MDES on Monday. It was the Eagles' first win of the season.
 
They are led by reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Chance Graham, who averages 10.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
 
Aliyah Lawson leads the Eagles' backcourt, averaging 9.9 points per game and 2.2 assists per game.
 
Alexandra Hamilton is another guard that can dish the ball, averaging 2.1 assists per game and 6.7 points per game.
 
NSU's Fab Five
Chanette Hicks leads the Spartans with 21.2 points per game, 5.0 assists per game and 5.1 steals per game. She leads the MEAC in all three of those categories, and is top 10 in the country in scoring (7th) and  steals per game (2nd) .
 
La'Deja James completes the Spartans 1-2 punch, averaging 13.6 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. James went off for a career-high 36 points against N.C. Central, which now sits second in NSU's DI record book for the most points in a single game.
 
Blaire Thomas is the third leading scorer for the Spartans, averaging 9.6 points per game. Thomas is heating up as of late. She averaged eight points in the first 14 games, but that number has jumped up to 12.3 points per game in the last eight outings.
 
Mikaela Jones leads the Spartans in blocks, totaling 30 on the season for 1.4 blocks per game. Jones is averaging 7.3 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. She had her first double-double of the season against S.C. State, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Dana Echols returned to the starting lineup for the Spartans in the previous matchup against Coppin State, scoring a season-high eight points to go along with another season-high eight rebounds. Echols is third on the team in assists, averaging 1.7 per game.
 
1-2 Punch
The Spartans have the top two conference scorers in Hicks (19.6 ppg) and James (18 ppg). Hicks has scored at least 30 points three times this season, and James has a 30-point game and three 20-point games. 
 
Spartans That Earned Weekly Honors
Hicks is stealing the limelight in the MEAC this season, winning Player or Co-Player of the Week six out of the 14 times this season. James claimed the award last week following a 27-point performance against Delaware State.
 
Hicks has also won MEAC Defensive player of the week six times, winning both awards more than any other MEAC player this season.
 
Hicks became the sixth different Spartan to earn defensive player of the week honors since the start of the 2016-17 season. In that span, a NSU player has collected the award a total of 22 times.
 
Cam Platt-Morris is another Spartan that has earned a weekly MEAC award, winning Rookie of the Week following a 14 point performance against Delaware State.
 
National Rankings
Hicks is second in the nation in steals with 5.1 steals per game. Hicks is one of only 19 players to record a triple-double this season, and only Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu and Loyola Maryland's Stephanie Karcz have more triple-doubles than Hicks this season. Hicks' triple-double came against Virginia Lynchburg on Nov. 14, scoring 20 points to go along with 14 assists and 11 steals.

As a team, the Spartans rank top ten in the country in steals per game and turnovers forced per game. NSU's 12.5 steals per game ranks fourth in the country, and their 22.1 turnovers forced per game ranks fourth as well.
 
NSU By the Numbers
1 & 2 - NSU has the top two scorers in the MEAC during conference play; Hicks' 19.6 ppg and James' 18 ppg.
 
+7.8 - NSU's scoring margin so far this season, holding opponents to 59.5 ppg on defense while scoring 67.2 ppg on offense.
 
21.2 - The number of points Hicks averages per game, which is first in the MEAC and seventh in the country.
 
22.1 - The number of turnovers opponents average against the Spartans, which ranks NSU fourth in the country in forced turnovers.
 
1 - Amount of triple-doubles Hicks has this season, coming against VUL on Nov. 14.