2014-15 DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTES
“HORNETS” (9-9; 3-1 MEAC) vs. No. Carolina A&T State “Aggies” (5-15; 2-4 MEAC)
Sat., Jan. 24, 2015 - 6:00 p.m.
Greensboro, N.C. (Corbett Sports Center – 5,700)
Live TV: n/a
Live Audio: n/a
Live Video: NCATaggies.com
Live Stats: NCATaggies.com
Twitter updates: @DSUAthletics
Delaware State Head Coach Keith Walker (Clemson, '81): 14-15 at DSU (1st year, plus 11 games as interim in 2013-14); 105-117 career (9th year); 0-0 vs. NCA&T.; 8-6 MEAC regular season
NCA&T Head Coach Cy Alexander (Catawba, '75): 34-55 at NCA&T (Third year); 384-355 career (25th year); 23-11 vs. DSU
THE GAME
The Hornets (9-9; 3-1 MEAC) begin a three-game road swing with a critical MEAC contest at North Carolina A&T. After dropping its conference opener to Morgan State on Jan. 10, Delaware State has won its last three games to move into third place in the MEAC standings. The Hornets are coming off a 59-50 win over Savannah State on Monday. Tyshawn Bell scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to lead the way. The Hornets outscored the Tigers 38-21 in the second half after trailing by eight at the break. Bell had four field goals in the contest, including three from three-point territory (3-for-4). He was also second on the team with five rebounds. Amere May also scored 16 points to share the Hornets' scoring lead with Bell. Delaware State's Kendall Gray led all players with 17 rebounds. He also contributed eight points, four blocks and three assists to win, although he fell short of a sixth straight double-double. DSU matched its win total for the entire 2013-14 season (9-21) with the victory. The Hornets are also looking to maintain their momentum entering Monday's nationally-televised contest (ESPNU) at first place North Carolina Central, the defending conference champ.
NCA&T (5-15; 2-4 MEAC) is coming off a 1-1 MEAC road trip to Hampton and Norfolk State. The
Aggies began the trip with an impressive 64-61 win over Hampton last Saturday, but fell to Norfolk State 74-60 in the getaway game last Monday. NCA&T led Norfolk State 34-33 at the half, but was outscored 41-26 in the final 20 minutes. Bruce Beckford led the Aggies with a game-high 21 points, while Steven Burrough added 11 in the contest. North Carolina A&T hit just 10 of their 29 shots in the second half of the game (34.5%). Beckford leads the Aggies in scoring (16.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 pg) this season. NCA&T is tied with Morgan State for ninth place in the MEAC standings.
DSU vs. NCA&T SERIES HISTORY (NCA&T leads 56-31 )
This is the only scheduled contest between the Hornets and Aggies this season. The teams met once during 2013-14 season, with No. Carolina A&T coming out on top 66-55 in Greensboro, N.C. Delaware State trimmed a 21-point second half deficit to seven before running out of gas and time in the contest. The loss overshadowed a school record-tying eight blocks by DSU's Kendall Gray. It marked the second time that Gray had reached the mark in his career. He also had nine points and nine rebounds in the contest. NCA&T led 36-20 at the break and opened up a 43-22 lead three minutes into the second half. The Hornets chipped away throughout the half, and pulled to within 50-41. North Carolina A&T stretched its lead to 13 points before the Hornets took a little more off the deficit. Delaware State responded with a 9-3 run, and cut the Aggies' lead to 62-55 on a three-pointer by Tyshawn Bell with 3:05 left. It was as close as the Hornets would get. Bell was high scorer for the Hornets with 17 points. The Aggies have won the last two meetings between the teams to open up a 56-31 series lead.
