Reggie Holmes scored 26 points against WSSU and became the No.3 All-Time Leading Scorer in Morgan State history.
Boxscore
BALTIMORE, Md. – Reggie Holmes scored 26 points in Morgan State's 79-65 win over non-conference opponent Winston-Salem State on Saturday that extended the Bears' winning streak to 11 games.
“We're happy about the victory,” Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said after the Bears (19-7, 10-0) improved to 8-0 at Hill Field House this season.
“You value any win you get in Division I, the tough part is playing a team like this (non-conference) in the middle of your conference season. I'm just glad we were able to pull through.”
Morgan State jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, but the Rams woke up and trimmed the lead to 13-10 with 12:23 left in the first half.
DeWayne Jackson ignited a 10-3 spurt by scoring seven points during a four minute stretch to help give the Bears a 23-13 lead. The Bears went into the intermission with a 42-24 lead.
Holmes, who entered the game ranked among the nation's leading scorers (22.2 ppg), dropped in 15 points in the first half, and surpassed Yarharborough Roberts as the No. 3 all-time leading scorer in Morgan State history. The senior finished the contest with 26 points (13-15 FT) and has amassed 1,837 points for his career.
The Bears had a lapse during the opening moments of the second half as Winston-Salem State cut the lead to 42-28 following a layup by Lamar Monger with 18 minutes left in the game. Morgan State responded with a 19-6 run and a layup by Joe Davis gave the Bears its largest lead of the game at 61-34 with just over 12 minutes left to play. Morgan State cruised from that point forward.
Troy Davis continues to provide productive minutes for the Bears and tied his career-best by scoring 18 points with eight rebounds in 32 minutes. Jackson pitched in 10 points before leaving the game with an ankle injury, while Rodney Stokes posted a team-high 10 rebounds“Reggie [Holmes] came up big and Troy [Smith] played well today,” Bozeman said. “DeWayne [Jackson] tweaked his ankle, but Rodney Stokes came up big. Somebody always comes up big for this team and that's what we need. On a night when Kevin Thompson had four rebounds and one point, we needed somebody else to step up.”
Winston-Salem State shot 1-of-15 from 3-point territory, while the Bears shot 58 percent from long range (7-12 3FG) and was led by Holmes who hit 3-of-7.
Paul Davis was impressive. The junior forward scored a career-high 32 points (13-18 FG) with 15 rebounds and six blocks in the Rams' loss.
The Bears will return to action on Monday night for an ESPNU televised matchup with the Bulldogs of South Carolina State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Hill Field House and will cap the Bears' 4-game homestand. Morgan State defeated the Bulldogs earlier this season (Jan. 16th) in an ESPN2 televised game at South Carolina State.
Bear Note
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins and sophomore guard Lamar Monger each picked up a pair of technical fouls and were ejected in the second half.
