Game 10
Morgan State (5-4) vs Manhattan (5-4)
Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 – 4:00 p.m. (ET)
Hill Field House – Baltimore, Md.
The Opening Tip
Morgan State (5-4, 1-0), the 2009 MEAC champion, will play its first home contest since it November 19th when they host the Manhattan Jaspers (5-4). The game will mark the ninth non-conference game of the season for the Bears. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Hill Field House in Baltimore. The game will mark the 2nd match-up between the teams and will be broadcast locally by WEAA, 88.9 FM.
The Last Time Out
Reggie Holmes scored 26 points on 9-for-28 shooting as Morgan State dropped on the road to Minnesota 94-64. Kevin Thompson collected his seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.
Jaspers' Last Game
Freshman Halil Kanacevic scored 11 points off the bench, including five in a row late in the second half, as Hofstra defeated Manhattan 44-39 on Wednesday night. The Pride (6-3) held the Jaspers (5-4) to 21.4 percent shooting (12-for-56), including 1-for-23 in the opening 15:05, when Hofstra turned a 5-0 deficit into a 19-5 lead.
Series History
Saturday night's game will be the second meeting between Morgan State and Manhattan in men's basketball. Last season, Antoine Pearson hit an off-balanced layup while falling down in the lane with 9.1 seconds to help Manhattan escape with a 61-60 victory against Morgan State on Wednesday night in the Jaspers' home-opener and the first meeting between the two teams.
Holming In
♦ Morgan State senior guard Reggie Holmes will enter Saturday night's contest averaging 24.8 points per game, including three 30 point outings thru nine games. He currently leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in scoring and ranks in the NCAA Top 10 (ranked No. 4 thru Dec. 7).
Thompson's Hospitality
♦ Morgan State forward Kevin Thompson was named to the Freshmen Mid-Major All-America team by Collegeinsider.com at the end of the last season. Thompson became the first Bear ever to be selected to the team. Thompson posted his seventh double-double of the season (13th career) during the Bears loss at Minnesota, finishing with 17 points and a career-high 19 boards.
Numbers Game
♦ Morgan State enters the game having won 6 of its last 10 non-conference meetings, including wins against Maryland, Arkansas, Towson, Albany, UMBC and East Tennessee State.
♦ Reggie Holmes has scored 20 or more points in eight out of 9 games, and has scored 30 or better three times so far this season.
♦ MSU guard Danny Smith saw his first action in three games when the Bears played at Loyola on Tuesday night ... the junior transfer logged 20 minutes and finished with two assists and a steal.
♦ MSU's is averaging 78.6 points per game and has posted 90 or more points twice so far this season
♦ Sophomore point guard Sean Thomas dished out a career-best 10 assists in an overtime loss at Appalachian State on November 28.
♦ Senior guard Reggie Holmes' 9 point output against #22 Louisville was his lowest scoring output since scoring 7 points at Hampton back on February 23, 2009...He made up for it in the Bears very next game by scoring a career-high 34 points to help MSU notch its first win against an SEC opponent.
♦ Freshman forward DeWayne Jackson finished with a game-high 21 points and was 4-for-8 from beyond the arc at #22 Louisville.
♦ Morgan State's win against Albany this season was the Bears first season-opener win since dropping Lincoln (91-50) in 1988.
♦ Prior to Morgan State's 82-54 loss to Oklahoma in MSU's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, the Bears had won six consecutive games and 13 of its last 15.
