DAYTONA BEACH, Fla—The South Carolina State men's basketball team will square off against host Bethune-Cookman in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at Moore Gymnasium Saturday (March 2^nd).Tip-off is 4 p.m.

IN THE MEAC: South Carolina State is currently 8^th in league standings with an 5-9 league record, while Bethune-Cookman is currently ranked 5^th at 8-6 in the MEAC. Junior forward Damani Applewhite is ranked 3^rd in the league in scoring at 17.1 points per game.

BULLDOG NOTE: Applewhite need just 19 points (981) to reach the 1,000^th point career scoring mark.  The first player to reach that milestone since first-year assistant coach and former Bulldog standout Ed Stephens back in 2015, along with teammate E.J. Eaves.

LAST TIME: The last time the two teams met Bethune-Cookman knocked off the Bulldogs 73-98 on Feb. 16^th in Orangeburg, SC. Applewhite finished with a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

SC State is coming off a tough 62-72 defeat to NCCU on Monday on the road in Durham, NC. Junior forward Ian Kinard finished with 14 points. Applewhite is the leader on the boards with 7.3 per outing while senior guard Janai Raynor-Powell and junior guard Lavar Harewood each are averaging a little over 9.3 points.

Bethune-Cookman the Preseason Favorite has three players in double-figures with Isaiah Bailey leading the way with 14.7 ppg. Cletrell Pope and Malik Maitland each are averaging over 13.3 points each, while Pope remains one of the top rebounders in the nation at 12.3 boards per contest.

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