GAME NOTES
ORANGEBURG, SC—The South Carolina State men's basketball team returns to Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center for a four-game home stand beginning with the visiting Spartans of Norfolk State Saturday (Jan.24) . Tipoff for the women's contest is 4 p.m., followed by the men with a 6 p.m. start.

SERIES HISTORY: South Carolina State is the only school in the MEAC that NSU does not have a winning record against. The Bulldogs own a 17-16 lead in the all-time series after winning last year's meeting 73-61 in Orangeburg, S.C. The Spartans have lost three of the last four meetings in Orangeburg and five of the last eight.

LAST TIMEOUT: The Bulldogs knocked off UMES on the road on Monday, 73-72 in overtime, to improve to 4-2 in the conference and 6-14 overall. Freshman guard Edward Stephens led the charge for South Carolina State with 26 points, while sophomore guard Greg Mortimer tossed in a career-high 21 points in the win.

Meanwhile, the Spartans stand 12-9 overall but more importantly 5-1 in the MEAC. NSU sits alone in second place in the conference standings behind North Carolina Central (6-0). In their last outing the Spartans posted a 74-60 victory over N.C. A&T at home. Jeff Short led the Spartans with 19 points
and RaShid Gaston added 16 points in the victory.
 
BULLDOG BITE: The Bulldogs also tally nearly seven steals per game while forcing almost 14 turnovers. Freshman guard Edward Stephens leads the way in scoring with 11.2 points, while sophomore guard Greg Mortimer chips 8.2 ppg and Karon Wright 7.9. Junior forward Darryl Palmer is the leader on the board with 7.1 rebounds, 7.2 points and 2.4 blocks per game.

SC State returns to action on Monday against the Pirates of Hampton University in a pivotal MEAC doubleheader with the women beginning at 5:30 p.m., and the men following immediately afterwards in a 7:30 p.m. start.
 
For more information on South Carolina State University basketball, please call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060, or visit the official Bulldogs website at www.scsuathletics.com