Boxscore
Bear Shots
TOWSON, Md. – Morgan State took a break from Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play and traveled cross-town to take care of business against Towson in an ESPN BracketBusters matchup.
Reggie Holmes lit the Tigers up for 18 points, including six three-pointers to lead Morgan State to an 80-64 win against Towson at the Towson Center on Saturday afternoon. It was the Bears' largest margin of victory against the Tigers since 1978 and improved Morgan State's all-time series record against Towson to 12-11.
Morgan State entered the contest holding the distinction of being the first Historically Black College & University (HBCU) to participate in the ESPN BracketBusters series.
“We came into the game feeling like we were not only representing ourselves, we were representing the conference,” said Morgan State head coach Todd Bozeman. “We want to eventually have all of our teams participate in the BracketBusters.”
Marquise Kately went 8-for-12 from the floor and added 16 points for the Bears, who shot 52.9 percent (18-34) in the second half and played impressive defense as they held the Tigers to 35.7 percent (25-70) shooting for the game.
Kevin Thompson, a five-time MEAC Rookie of the Week, added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Rogers Barnes chipped in 10 points and seven boards.
Morgan State held a commanding 51-35 advantage on the glass and scored 40 of their 80 points inside the paint.
Though Morgan State never trailed, Towson got to within 30-28 with less than two minutes to play in the first half. But the Bears responded with a 9-3 run, punctuated with a three-pointer by Bolden to give Morgan State a 39-30 lead at intermission.
Jermaine Bolden, the conference leader in assists, controlled the pace of the game for the Bears and scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half. The senior point guard also dished out a game-high nine assists.
“Itchy [Bolden] carried the load for us early, and in the second half his teammates got more involved,” said Bozeman.
The Bears dominated the inside and pulled away in the second half, leaving Towson fans utterly lifeless. The Tigers trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half.
The pace of the game picked up rapidly five minutes into the second half and the pace definitely seemed to favor the Bears, as Morgan State extended their lead to 56-45 with 12:35 remaining behind the hot shooting of Reggie Holmes. Holmes nailed three 3-pointers in the half and finished 6-for-12 from beyond the arc.
“Reggie is going to end up being the school's all-time leading scorer,” Bozeman said. “He definitely has the ability to score the basketball, and when he gets on a roll it's something to see.”
Jarrell Smith had a game-high 21 points and Rocky Coleman had 13 to lead Towson, which was handed their third consecutive loss.
Next up for Morgan State is Hampton (12-14, 5-7), which defeated the Bears earlier this season at Hill Field House on January 26th. The game will be televised by ESPNU and will tip-off at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 23rd.
