Old Dominion (3-0) at Norfolk State (2-1)
Game Info – Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
Location – Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – MEAC Network
Listen – ESPN Sports Radio 94.1
Live Stats – Click Here
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NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion men’s basketball resumes its crosstown rivalry with Norfolk State this Wednesday as the Monarchs take on the Spartans in a 7 p.m. game at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall.
NSU will stream Wednesday’s game on the MEAC Network and will also have live stats available. Fans can also tune into ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 to hear Ted Alexander and Dennis Wolff covering the action.
Series History
Wednesday will mark the 23rd meeting between the two programs with Old Dominion holding a 16-6 lead in the all-time series. The Monarchs have won six straight against the Spartans.
ODU hosted NSU on Nov. 11 last year and came away with a 60-57 victory over the Spartans. The game was tied at 57-57 with 1:26 remaining when a Caelum Swanton-Rodger dunk put the Monarchs back in front. LJ Thomas, who led the Silver and Blue with 20 points, was fouled with 40.8 seconds left and went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. NSU’s Elijah Jamison missed a driving layup and a tip-in attempts with 19 seconds left, and Anthony McComb III missed his look at a three with five seconds left. KC Shaw was next in scoring for ODU with 16 points and put together an 11-0 run all on his own.
About ODU
ODU secured its first road win of the season with an 82-62 victory over Bucknell this past Saturday. The Monarchs (3-0) held a narrow 26-25 lead at halftime, but outscored the Bison, 56-37 in the second half as Jared Turner knocked down six of his career-high eight three-pointers in the final 20 minutes. The Silver Spring, Maryland native was one triple away from tying the program record for threes in game and also set career bests in points (24), field goals made (8), and three-point attempts (11). Adante’ Holiman followed with 17 points, Zacch Wiggins was next with 12 points, and Bubu Benjamin chipped in 11 points.
ODU combined to shoot 17-for-31 from beyond the arc at Sojka Pavilion. That tied the program record for made threes in a game as the Monarchs converted 17-of-24 three-point attempts against James Madison on Feb. 17, 1993 at Scope Arena.
Through its first three games, ODU has three players averaging double-digit scoring. Wiggins leads the way with 13.3 points per game, Turner is second on the team with 10.7 ppg, and Holiman is third with 10.3 ppg. Turner entered the week ranked 14th nationally in threes made (10) and was also 29th in three-point shooting (66.7%). His 21 rebounds are the third-most in the Sun Belt. Khoi Thurmon averages 5.3 ppg and ranks 16th in the country with 16 assists and 26th with 8.0 assists per game. Wiggins, Benjamin, and Thurmon have grabbed five steals each, and Jotham Nweke (2.7 ppg) leads the Sun Belt with five blocks and ranks second in the league with 1.67 blocks per game.
The Monarchs net 78 ppg and are 26th in Division I in scoring defense, holding opponents to 52.7 ppg. ODU comes into the matchup shooting 47.8% from the field. The team ranks second in the Sun Belt in three-point shooting (38.5%) and bench points per game (38.33), and they are third in effective field-goal shooting (56%), free-throw shooting (69.8%), field goal percentage defense (33.1%), scoring margin (+25.3), rebounding margin (+12.7), and turnovers forced per game (15.67). The Silver and Blue pull down 40.7 rebounds per contest.
Head coach Mike Jones is in his third season leading the program and is 30-41 during his time in Norfolk.
About Norfolk State
The Spartans (2-1) opened the season with a 68-45 win over Regent on Nov. 2 and defeated Randolph College, 78-71 on Nov. 4, but suffered a 104-73 setback at William & Mary on Sunday. Jerome ‘J.C.’ Riley Jr. led NSU in the loss with 12 points and nine rebounds. Bahsil Laster was right behind him with 11 points, all at the free-throw line, and Keon Mitchell and Dramane Camara contributed 10 points each. Jordan Skyers was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s Rookie of the Week on Monday after tallying 42 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and seven assists through the team’s first three games.
Laster, a junior guard from Philadelphia, leads NSU and is third in the MEAC with 49 points (6.3 ppg). He’s also third in the country in free throws made (24) and seventh in free throw attempts (28). Following Laster in scoring are Skyers with 14.0 ppg and Chris Walker with 11.0 ppg. Riley Jr. is NSU’s top rebounder with 22 boards (7.3 rpg), which ranks second in the MEAC, while Laster owns a team-high 10 assists. Skyers ranks fourth nationally with 10 steals, is 17th in Division I with 40 field goal attempts, and 23rd with 3.33 steals per game. The freshman guard is also third in the conference with 18 field goals made.
Norfolk State is scoring 73 ppg while allowing 73.3 ppg for a -0.3-scoring margin. The Spartans are shooting 41.4% from the field, including 29.4% from the perimeter, and 68.1% at the charity stripe. The team leads their conference in free throws made per game (16.3) and fouls per game (15.7) and ranks second in the MEAC in free throw attempts per game (24.0) and fast break points (15.67 ppg). The Green and Gold are third in the league in free throw shooting, three-point attempts per game (22.7), turnovers per game (11.3), turnover margin (4.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.12), and steals per game (10.0).
The Spartans were picked to finish third in the MEAC’s Preseason Poll behind Howard and Morgan State, with Laster and Skyers named to the Preseason Watch List. Head coach Robert Jones owns a 253-177 record and is in his 14th season at Norfolk State.
Up Next
ODU will be back in Chartway Arena this Saturday, Nov. 14 when the Monarchs host Longwood for a 4 p.m. game.
SEASON SPONSOR
Bon Secours is the Presenting Sponsor of Old Dominion University’s 2026-27 Men’s Basketball Season. Bon Secours is proud to operate its four hospitals and medical centers in Hampton Roads and is even more proud to serve the surrounding community with exceptional care. It’s our mission at Bon Secours Hampton Roads to treat the whole person — mind, body and spirit, to bring compassion to health care, and to be good help to those in need. Bon Secours – the health care you deserve from a team you can trust.