GAME NOTES
NORFOLK, Va. – Coming off two tough losses to Howard and Delaware State, Coppin State's men's basketball team will face MEAC-leading Norfolk State on Saturday, March 2. Tipoff from Echols Memorial Hall is set for 6:30 pm.
The Basics
Coppin State Eagles (6-23, 6-8 MEAC) at Norfolk State Spartans (17-11, 12-1 MEAC)
Norfolk, Va. (Echols Memorial Hall)
Saturday, March 2, 2018 | 6:30 pm
Video: https://nsuspartans.com/watch/?Live=755&type=Live
Audio: http://hot91.nsu.edu:8000/128
Live Stats: https://nsuspartans.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series History: Norfolk State Leads, 30-11
Coppin State News & Notes
- Coppin has seen a lot of improvement since starting league play in early January. In non-conference action, CSU scored 57.1 points while allowing 80.5 points. In league play, CSU has averaged 70.1 points while allowing 71.9.
- After missing nearly all of last season with an injury, redshirt sophomore Dejuan Clayton has proved to be one of the top players in the MEAC. Clayton is currently third in the MEAC with 18.2 points per game in conference play while making 47.1% of his shots and dishing out nearly five assists per conference game. Clayton's strength has been getting to the hole as he has made 83-of-109 free throws in those games, both of which are the second-most to Howard's RJ Cole.
- In just 60 career games at Coppin State, Lamar Morgan has made 157 3-pointers which is now the 10th-most in Coppin State history despite playing just two seasons at Coppin. His 2.6 three's per game in his CSU career is the most among qualifiers in school-history. Morgan is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points which increases to 12.8 points in conference play. In league play, Morgan has made 38.1% of his shots from downtown.
- Chad Andrews-Fulton has been described as the Heart and Soul of the team and he's proven it in conference play with a gritty 8.6 points and team-high 7.9 rebounds in those games while making nearly 50% of his shots.
- Kent Auslander has stepped up his game as of late, averaging 12.3 ppg in the last seven games. This included a then career-high 18 points in a win over Bethune-Cookman before he upped that with 20 points at Savannah State. He also scored 14 at South Carolina State. In those seven games, he has made 25-of-46 (54.3%) from the field and 20-of-36 (55.6%) from 3-point range. Auslander is now averaging 8.2 points in conference play while making 50.8% of his shots and 47.9% of his 3-pointers.
Scouting Norfolk State
- Winners of four straight, NSU needs just one win in its last three games, or a North Carolina A&T loss, to capture its second-ever MEAC regular season title and secure the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. At 12-1, the Spartans are two games ahead of the Aggies (11-3) in the loss column. North Carolina Central (10-5) is in third.
- The Spartans sit 1st in the MEAC in blocks (4.5), 2nd in scoring margin (+4.2), field goal percentage defense (41.2), 3-point field goal percentage (37.7) and 3-point field goals (7.9), and 3rd in scoring offense (74.0), scoring defense (69.8), field goal percentage (44.5), turnover margin (+0.96), defensive rebounds (26.1) and defensive rebound percentage (71.4).
- In MEAC games only, NSU ranks 1st in scoring offense (76.6), scoring margin (+8.7) and 3-point field goal percentage (41.3), 2nd in field goal percentage (46.3), defensive rebound percentage (72.2), blocks (3.9) and 3-point field goals (8.6), and 3rd in free throw percentage (72.7), field goal percentage defense (40.4) and rebounding margin (+2.5).
- Nic Thomas (14.4 ppg) and Derrik Jamerson (11.1 ppg) lead the team in scoring with Steven Whitley, Alex Long, Jordan Butler and Mastadi Pitt all averaging between 8.6 points to 9.2 points. Butler has a team-high 6.4 rebounds and nearly two blocked shots per game while Whitley dishes out four assists per game.
