NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk State men's basketball team opens MEAC conference play Saturday with a road matchup at North Carolina Central.
SETTING THE SCENE
Norfolk State (6-10) enters Saturday's contest following an 63-54 loss against Louisiana in the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
- Head Coach Robert Jones, in his 13th season, is just eight wins away from reaching 250 career victories.
- Saturday's matchup is the ninth game of a 10-game road stretch spanning 48 days between home contests (Nov. 25 vs. VUL to Jan. 12 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore).
- During this stretch, the Spartans will travel approximately 14,900 miles.
- Saturday's matchup marks the 57th meeting between the two programs, with NSU leading the series 36-20.
LAST TIME OUT
- Final Score: Louisiana 63, Norfolk State 54
- Jordan Leaks: 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal
- Anthony McComb III: 11 points, three rebounds, one steal
- Team Shooting: 31.5% FG (17-of-54), 39.1% 3FG (9-of-23), 68.8% FT (11-of-16)
- Second-Chance Points: Norfolk State 9, Louisiana 3
NSU VS. NC CENTRAL
- Saturday's game marks the 57th all-time meeting between the programs.
- Norfolk State holds a 36–20 series advantage.
- In the most recent meeting, the Eagles defeated the Spartans, 91-87 in overtime on March 3, 2025 at McDougald-McLendon Arena.
- The Spartans last victory over the Eagles came on Feb. 3, 2025 at Joseph Echols Hall
NORFOLK STATE IN THE MEAC STATS RANKINGS
- NSU enters the game as the MEAC's statistical leader in multiple categories:
- Offensive Scoring – 74.9 ppg
- Team FG percentage – 45.4% (438-965)
- Opponent FG Percentage – 43.7% (395-904)
- Combined team rebounds – 36.6 rpg
- Team defensive rebounds – 24.4 rpg
- Rebounding margin – 2.1
EAGLES SCOUT
- North Carolina Central enters the matchup with an 4-11 overall record following a 90-67 loss to the Nittany Lions of Penn State University
- Khouri Carvey led NCCU with 13 points against PSU shooting 6-of-9 from the field with nine rebounds
- Dionte Johnson (11) and Kelechi Okworogwo (11) joined Carvey in doublefigures
- Gage Lattimore leads the team overall with 269 points on the season averaging 19.2 per game while Carvey is the only other Eagle to average double-digits with 14.2 ppg
- Carvey it the teams best rebounder with 104 on the year bringing down 6.9 boards a game with Okworogwo on his heels with 5.0 rpg
- NC Central averages 72.3 points per game as a team while allowing opponents 78.5 ppg
- The team shoots 42.5% on FGA, 30.2% on 3FG, and 73.2% at the FT line
- Head coach LeVelle Moton is in his 17th season leading the Eagles with a 282-227 overall record
UP NEXT
The Spartans return to action next Saturday, Jan. 10, when they travel to Dover, Del. To face the Hornets of Delaware State.
