Norfolk State to end season against S.C. State and N.C. Central

 Courtesy of Alex Lehmbeck, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Communications, Norfolk State University

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State men’s basketball team heads south this weekend with a chance to clinch its fifth Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season title of head coach Robert Jones‘ tenure.

The Spartans (20-8, 10-1 MEAC) play South Carolina State (15-12, 8-3) on Saturday, Mar. 1 at 2 p.m., before driving a few hours up the road to face North Carolina Central (11-17, 4-7) on Monday, Mar. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Norfolk State holds a two-game lead in the MEAC standings over trailing South Carolina State, with the Spartans’ only loss coming on the road to Morgan State over a month ago. Pending a win on Saturday, Norfolk State would surge three games ahead of its nearest competitor with two matchups remaining, thus securing the outright regular season title as well as the No. 1 seed for the upcoming MEAC Tournament.

But the Spartans will have a pair of difficult road tests to get there this weekend, defeating both opponents in home thrillers the first time around.

Norfolk State needed overtime to fend off South Carolina State at Joseph G. Echols Hall on Feb. 1, pulling out a 67-65 victory. Terrance Jones came up clutch with a career-high 20 points from off the bench, pushing the Spartans to their 15^thconsecutive win against the Bulldogs.

The Spartans produced even more theatrics two days later in an 81-78 triumph over the Eagles. Norfolk State overcame a 10-point deficit in the game’s final eight minutes, finishing the night in dramatic fashion. Brian Moore Jr. heaved a game-winner from well past the 3-point line with less than a second remaining, using the backboard for the crucial score.

Norfolk State earned a 69-60 win over Morgan State on Monday evening, led by 12 points from Christian Ings. The graduate guard put together quite a show for Senior Night, capped off by two thunderous dunks in the final minutes of regulation which earned the No. 3 and No. 1 slots on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays segment.

LAST TIME OUT 

• Norfolk State defeated Morgan State 69-60 on Monday evening
• Christian Ings led Norfolk State with 12 points, including a pair of show-stopping dunks in the final two minutes of regulation
• Ings’ late-game dunks ended up as the No. 3 and No. 1 plays on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays segment.
• Five Spartans scored in double figures: Ings, Brian Moore Jr. (11), Jaylani Darden (11), Terrance Jones (11), Chris Fields Jr. (11), and Jalen Myers
• Norfolk State shot 38.8 percent from the floor, holding Morgan State to a 34.4 percent clip
• NSU outscored MSU 38-30 in the paint
• Kuluel Mading recorded a career-high 14 rebounds, while Myers secured a career-high 11 boards

SERIES HISTORY 

• Norfolk State leads the all-time series with South Carolina State 34-18, winning the last 15 matchups between the schools
• Norfolk State defeated SCSU 67-65 in overtime in the first meeting this season. Terrance Jones led the Spartans with a career-high 20 points off the bench, going 5-of-5 at the free throw line
• Norfolk State leads the all-time series with North Carolina Central 36-19, winning the last two matchups
• Norfolk State took down NCCU 81-78 earlier this season, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes of regulation
• Brian Moore Jr. sunk the Eagles with a last-second heave from well behind the 3-point line

BULLDOG SCOUT 

• South Carolina State enters Saturday’s game with a 15-12 record (8-3 MEAC)
• The Bulldogs currently own a six-game win streak
• Drayton Jones leads SCSU with 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, shooting 58.5 percent from the floor
• South Carolina State head coach Erik Martin is in his third season with the Bulldogs
• South Carolina State leads the MEAC and ranks second in the country with 36.8 bench points per game
• SCSU leads the MEAC in rebounding margin (3.9), steals per game (9.5), and free throws made per game (17.5)

EAGLE SCOUT

• North Carolina Central enters the weekend with an 11-17 record (4-7 MEAC)
• The Eagles look to snap a three-game losing streak
• Junior guard Po’Boigh King leads the Eagles with 16.5 points per game, while Perry Smith leads the team on the glass with 5.6 rebounds per game
• Head coach LeVelle Moton is in his 16^th season with the Eagles
• North Carolina Central plays aggressively, ranking fourth in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.7), sixth in fast break points per game (16.2), and 14^th in offensive rebounds per game (13.8)