Bankston leads Norfolk State against South Carolina State after 24-point showing

South Carolina State Bulldogs (3-18, 0-5 MEAC) at Norfolk State Spartans (13-7, 3-2 MEAC)

Norfolk, Virginia; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Norfolk State takes on the South Carolina State Bulldogs after Kris Bankston scored 24 points in Norfolk State's 77-71 loss to the Morgan State Bears.

The Spartans have gone 6-1 at home. Norfolk State leads the MEAC in rebounding, averaging 32.9 boards. Bankston leads the Spartans with 7.3 rebounds.

The Bulldogs are 0-5 against MEAC opponents. South Carolina State has a 2-13 record against opponents above .500.

The Spartans and Bulldogs face off Saturday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Joe Bryant Jr. is averaging 16.6 points, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals for the Spartans. Bankston is averaging 13.6 points and seven rebounds over the last 10 games for Norfolk State.

Rakeim Gary is scoring 11.9 points per game with 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Bulldogs. Cam Jones is averaging 8.7 points over the last 10 games for South Carolina State.

LAST 10 GAMES: Spartans: 7-3, averaging 76.6 points, 33.1 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.4 points per game.

Bulldogs: 2-8, averaging 78.5 points, 31.6 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 43.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.7 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.