NORFOLK, Va. - After a non-conference win in the middle of the week, the Norfolk State men's basketball team will hit the road and return to MEAC play to take on Delaware State for a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday. Both games will begin at 5 p.m. at DSU's Memorial Hall.

NSU enters Saturday's contest with a 6-4 overall record, 1-1 in league play after splitting last weekend's games at home with Morgan State. Delaware State remains winless on the year at 0-7, 0-2 in the MEAC.

Media Coverage
The games will be shown live through Delaware State University's YouTube page, DESU-TV. The Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) will have the radio call for the games. Live stats will be available through DSU's website.

Series History
The Spartans are riding a six-game win streak over Delaware State, and they now own a 37-24 lead in the all-time series with DSU that began in 1962-63. NSU has won 10 of the last 11 meetings, with the only loss coming on the road by three points, 67-64, on Feb. 20, 2016. Three of NSU's six wins over the Hornets since that loss have come at Memorial Hall.

Scouting the Opponent
The Hornets have not played since Jan. 4 and 5 at Coppin State, where they lost by single digits both times in their MEAC openers. Their games last weekend at Howard were postponed. DSU has given up nearly 90 points per game to start the season, as teams shoot 48 percent from the floor against the Hornets. DSU turns the ball over nearly 18 times per game and shoots less than 38 percent overall while scoring 67 points per game. The Hornets are one of the 10 worse teams in the nation in scoring defense, shooting percentage and personal fouls per game (24.0). Myles Carter (12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds), Pinky Wiley (11.4 points, 3.9 assists), and Zach Kent (9.3 points, 1.8 blocks) carry the load for the team.

Last Time Out
NSU scored 51 points in the second half, pulling away from North Carolina Wesleyan in an 80-58 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Echols Hall. The Spartans shot 50 percent for the game, overcoming 17 turnovers. They did, however, force 25 turnovers from the Battling Bishops, who had just 49 field goal attempts on the afternoon. J.J. Matthews led the Spartans in points (18) and rebounds (8) for the second game in a row. Kyonze Chavis tallied a season-high 14 points, and Jalen Hawkins finished with 10. Norfolk State held a 21-8 advantage in fastbreak points.

Quick Hits
 • Norfolk State's defense continues to rank highly in the nation. The Spartans now sit 28th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (39.1) and 36th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.8). They sit first in the MEAC in scoring defense (70.1), field goal percentage defense, and 3-point field goal percentage defense, and second in blocks (3.8).
 • So far this year, six of NSU's 10 opponents have been held to less than 40 percent overall shooting, and only one team has hit better than 43 percent (Morgan State, 49 percent in game 2). That contest is also the only time an opponent has shot better than 32 percent from deep (45 percent).
 • NSU currently sits 25th in the nation and first in the MEAC in 3-point shooting at 39.8 percent. Kashaun Hicks (16-of-33, 49 percent) and Daryl Anderson (16-of-28, 57.1 percent) are big reasons why. Anderson is first in the MEAC in 3-point shooting.
 • The Spartans are getting more than 30 points per game from their bench this year. They have outscored all 10 opponents in bench points, and for the year they are outscoring teams 34.6-18.7 per game.
 • NSU has outscored eight of 10 opponents in points off turnovers, and for the year the Spartans hold a 16.8-13.6 edge in points off turnovers.
 • This year, the Spartans have had the same amount or fewer fouls than the opposition in eight of 10 games. Last year it was the opposite, as the Spartans had the same amount or more fouls in 22 of 31 games.
 • NSU is becoming adept at second half surges. This season, the team has scored the same amount or more points in second halves than first halves in seven of 10 games, including the last five. The Spartans are averaging +5.4 more points in second halves.
 • In the last four games, the Spartans are averaging 46.8 second-half points, 52.0 in the last two games alone.

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 North Carolina A&T at 26-23. In fact, the Spartans are one of 15 schools in the nation that have a winning record against every other school in their league.

Winning the State
Since the start of the 2011-12 season, NSU has the fourth-most wins (178) among the 14 Division I schools in the state of Virginia. The Spartans trail Virginia (254), VCU (230) and Old Dominion (187).