NCCU at Savannah State BBALL
NCCU and SSU meet in a crucial MEAC contest this Saturday

Men's Basketball Chris Hooks, Assistant Sports Information Director/Broadcast Media Coordinator

NCCU MEN'S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES AT SAVANNAH STATE (FEB. 16, 2013)

Eagles and Tigers battle for the 13th time in program history on Saturday



NCCU Sports Network Broadcast Link (GameCentral)


NCCU at Savannah State Game Notes (PDF)


THE GAME
With six games left in the 2012-13 season, North Carolina Central University sits in prime position for a top three seed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, but the road to a high seed goes through the defending regular season champion as Savannah State sits at 8-2 in the league and looking to end NCCU’s month-long winning streak. SSU swept the Eagles last year with two double-digit wins.

THE SERIES
NCCU and SSU are meeting for the 13th time in program history with the Eagles holding a 5-7 record against the host Tigers. In fact, Savannah State is 6-1 against since the maroon and gray made the move to the NCAA Division I level and are winless in three trips to Savannah, Ga. NCCU is 278-261 against MEAC foes all-time.

NCCU SPORTS NETWORK
The NCCU Sports Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of Saturday's MEAC doubleheader in Savannah, Ga. beginning with the Champps Pregame Show at 3:45 p.m. as the play-by-play voice Chris Hooks will call the action of both games from Tiger Arena.  Fans can also interact with Hooks by following @NCCUAthletics on twitter and by using the hashtag NCCUWBB and NCCUMBB.  Listeners can also e-mail Hooks at whooks@NCCU.edu.

SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY "TIGERS"
Savannah State University enters Saturday’s crucial conference tilt with a 14-10 overall record, 8-2 in the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) following a 67-65 victory over Florida A&M at the Lawson Center in Tallahassee, Fla. on Thursday night. The Tigers led 38-21 at the half and held off a furious Rattler rally in the second frame. In fact, Savannah State led by as much as 22 points in the first frame and with 16 minutes to go, led 48-27 following two Rashad Hassan free throws. From that point on Florida A&M outscored SSU 38-19, but the Tigers went 10-for-18 from the foul line in the second frame to hang on for the two-point win. Preston Blackmon led all scorers with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field that included a 4-for-5 effort from three-point range. Hassan ended the night with a double-double 13 points and 11 rebounds, while FAMU’s Jamie Adams ended the contest with 18 points despite not hitting a single three-pointer. The Tigers shot a scorching 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the field in the first half, while the Rattlers were just 9-for-29 (31.0 percent) in digging the early hole. Savannah State is led by Horace Broadnax who has been at the helm for 13 seasons and has compiled a 142-221 record, but has certainly impressed the naysayers as the Tigers took the regular season crown last season but were shocked in the opening round of the MEAC Tournament by Hampton. SSU has one of the top defenses in the nation, entering the week ranked sixth in the nation in that category allowing only 56.0 points per game. The Tigers have held 14 of their opponents under 60 points collecting an 8-6 record during that span. SSU is led by Hassan who is No. 11 in the MEAC in scoring at 13.1 points per ballgame, while his teammate Blackman is tied for No. 16 in the league in scoring contributing 12.2 points a contest. The 6-0 senior scored 41 points on Jan. 14 in a 78-70 double overtime win against Morgan State. 6-7 senior Arnold Louis is second in the MEAC in rebounding ripping down 7.7 boards a game, while Hassan is No. 17 in the league at 5.6 rebounds per game. Both Louis and Hassan are in the top-15 in the league in field goal percentage as Hassan is ninth at 52.3 percent while Louis is No. 12 at 45.4 percent from the field. 6-8 junior Jyles Smith is fourth in the MEAC averaging 2.4 blocked shots sitting with 58 on the year. Savannah State has a 6-1 record against NCCU since moving to the NCAA Division I level and has never lost to the Eagles inside Tiger Arena.

UP NEXT
The maroon and gray head to the Palmetto State for its first of two matchups against the South Carolina State University Bulldogs in the next two weeks. The first takes places on Monday night, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. from the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center in Orangeburg, S.C. Following that contest, NCCU returns home for the long-awaited matchup against the Aggies of North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 4:00 p.m. in the friendly confines of McDougald-McLendon Gym.
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