MEAC MBB Game Notes: Week 8

Norfolk, Va. - MEAC teams will be back in action for week eight of a highly anticipated 2019-20 season. This week features a serval of intriguing match-ups against Power Five schools and some strong mid-majors.
 
Following the Christmas break, Coppin State will tip-off the week against Mount St. Mary’s on Friday (Dec. 27).
 
On Saturday (Dec. 28), Morgan State will travel to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount.
 
North Carolina A&T State will travel to Illinois for a matchup against the Fighting Illini, while Maryland Eastern Shore travel to Blacksburg to face the Virginia Tech Hokies. Bethune-Cookman and Norfolk State will also be on the road as they travel to face Saint Louis and Stony Brook on Sunday, December 29.
 
Five MEAC teams will be in action on Monday, December 30. Delaware State, Howard and North Carolina Central will all be playing at home hosting Washington Adventist, Penn and Mid-Atlantic Christian. Coppin State will travel to the Bronx to take on Fordham while South Carolina State will travel to Jacksonville to play Jacksonville University.    
 
MJ Randolph (Florida A&M) was named MEAC Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 21 points against Washington State and leading the Rattlers to their first win of the season, 71-57 over Seattle. He averaged 18.5 points, five rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game for the week.
 
Bethune-Cookman’s Cletrell Pope earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Week for the fifth time this season. He scored 20 points on five-of-seven shooting from the field and went 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. He pulled down eight boards, two assists, and a pair of steals in the Wildcats’ win over Marist.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore’s Da’Shawn Phillip earned MEAC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season after averaging 6.3 points, 3.3 boards, and 2.3 blocks per game against East Carolina, Charlotte, and ODU.
 
Pope recorded his 12^th career 20-point game against Marist.
 
Coppin State’s Koby Thomas scored 12 points and added 10 boards against Miami for his third straight double-double.
 
Delaware State’s John Crosby continues to make his presence known on the court as he matched his season-high in points. Crosby scored 36 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists against Jacksonville State. He was 5-of-8 from behind the 3-point arc. It was his fourth 30-point game of the season.
 
Randolph and North Carolina A&T’s Fred Cleveland, Jr both had career highs in points. Randolph scored 21 points against Washington State, while Cleveland poured in 21 points against Kent State, making 5-of-6 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.  
 
Howard’s Charles Williams scored 18 points against Harvard in his pursuit to become the MEAC’s all-time leading scorer. He has now scored 2,035 points during his career at Howard.
 
North Carolina A&T State’s Ronald Jackson had his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Aggies’ upset bid against Wake Forest came up just short.