By Noah Gooden
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) basketball continues to roll on, as week nine gets underway with more conference action. Conference play will continue after a week that saw several cancellations and several more potentially coming this weekend due to COVID-19.
Norfolk State will look to extend its four-game winning streak when the Spartans travel to Baltimore, Md. to square off against Coppin State this Saturday and Sunday. The two teams sit atop the MEAC Northern Division with matching 3-1 records in conference play.
Howard was scheduled to hit the road to face Morgan State for its first games since Dec. 18, but continued COVID-19 issues have forced the postponement of those games.
Morgan State will take on St. Mary’s College of Maryland in a non-conference contest on Thursday, tipping off at 6 p.m. at Hill Field House.
Likewise, rivals North Carolina A&T State and North Carolina Central were slated to square off in back-to-back games in Durham, N.C., but COVID-19 issues within the Eagles’ program also forced those games to be postponed.
Morgan State’s Malik Miller was named MEAC Player of the Week after recording back-to-back double-doubles to help Morgan State go 1-1 against crosstown foe Coppin State. Miller averaged 25.5 points, 12 boards, 3.5 assists, two steals, and a block across the two games. He poured in a career high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds and four assists on Sunday. He finished with 21 points, 12 boards, three assists, and three steals the day before.
The Tarke brothers dominated the weekly honors yet again for Coppin State. Anthony Tarke was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week for the third straight week and fifth time this season. Tarke continues to be a menace on the defensive end. He averaged 19 points and 14 boards against crosstown foe Morgan State. On Saturday, he finished with 17 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and two steals. He put up 21 points, 12 boards, five steals and three blocks on Sunday.
Anthony Tarke’s brother, Nendah, was named MEAC Co-Rookie of the Week for the third time this season after averaging nine points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a steal in two games against Morgan State. Delaware State’s Martaz Robinson was named Co-Rookie of the Week after averaging 8.5 points, three assists and 0.5 steals in two games against Norfolk State.
Delaware State’s Pinky Wiley set career highs in points (29) and three pointers (7) against Norfolk State. He now has scored 1,009 career points. His seven triples are the most in the MEAC this season. The seven treys were one shy of the school record set by Marty Bailey (1998) and Kavon Waller (2017).
Anthony Tarke also scored his 1,000th career point.
North Carolina A&T State broke the 100-point mark this past Saturday against Carver College for the first time since putting 123 on Mid-Atlantic Christian on Jan. 3, 2020. The Aggies’ Darus Maddox scored a career-high 16 points against Carver College. Fred Cleveland, Jr. scored a season-high 17.
Please note all games and times are subject to change.
Thursday, Jan. 21
St. Mary’s (Md.) at Morgan State, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 23
Norfolk State at Coppin State, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 24
Norfolk State at Coppin State, 1 p.m.