ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The South Carolina State Bulldogs return home after going 2-1 on the road , to host Norfolk State in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown Saturday (Feb.4) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Tipoff is 4 p.m., immediately following the women's contest.

Series History
The Bulldogs won the last meeting in the series, a 67-65 win in the MEAC tournament semifinals last year. That narrowed NSU's lead in the all-time series to just 19-18, the closest rivalry the Spartans have had among the current teams in the league. They had won three in a row and five of the past six before that. The Bulldogs are aiming for their second straight win against NSU for the first time since 2005-06.

Last Timeout
The Bulldogs knocked off Hampton (68-66) on Jan. 25 before dropping a tough 92-69 decision to Maryland Easter Shore, after playing its fourth game in six days. SC State bounced back in a nationally televised victory over the Bison on Monday (Jan.30). Senior guard Eric Eaves had a power night with 28 points and nine (9) rebounds. Junior forward Tashombe Riley finished with 13 along with freshman forward Ian Kinard with his season's best 13 points and eight (8) rebounds off the bench.
 
Eaves is the leader with 16.5 points per game. The Bulldogs also get offense from Tashombe Riley (11.2 points), Greg Mortimer (9.7) and James Richardson (9.3). Riley leads the team in rebounding at 5.0 per game.

Norfolk State (9-13 overall, 6-2/4^th MEAC) is one of the hottest teams in the league and will be seeking its sixth straight win under head coach Robert Jones. In their last outing the Spartans defeated North Carolina A&T 83-69 at home. Five players scored in double figures including junior Alex Brown scoring a career-best 16 points in the win. Jonathan Wade led all players with 17 points, while Kerwin Okoro added 16.
 
NSU is led by Wade with 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per outing. Zaynah Robinson is second on the team with 11.5 points along with a team-high 26 steals. Jordan Butler is the leader in the frontcourt with 6.5 rebounds, while scoring 8.2 points.

BULLDOG NOTE: Ed Stephens needs just eight (8) points and Eric Eaves needs 56 to join the elite 1000-point scorers in South Carolina State history.  Stephens amassed over 992 points in three seasons, while Eaves made his mark in two seasons with 944 career points. The last player to eclipse the 1000-point scoring mark was four-year starting guard Khalif Toombs back in 2012-13.

For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.