Morgan State University Athletics

MSU Gamenotes

Game 11

Morgan State (4-6, 1-0 MEAC) vs. Robert Morris (4-7, 1-1 NEC)
Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010 – 7 p.m. (ET)
Hill Field House  – Baltimore, Md.
Television – n/a
Radio – WEAA, 88.9FM/Sirrius XM Ch. 153 [Lamont Germany, Mike Walker,
LeCounte Conaway and Austin Ward
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com; www.RMUColonials.com

Follow Morgan State men's basketball on twitter @morganstbears for in-game updates and the latest news on the squad.

The Opening Tip
Morgan State, the 2010 MEAC champions, will face Robert Morris on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. at Hill Field House in Baltimore, Md.  MSU 4-6 will look to rebound from a 104-74 non-conference loss at No. 20/22 Louisville on Dec. 27 at the KFC Yumi! Center. Robert Morris fell to Arizona 82-56 last Wednesday night in Tucson (Ariz.) dropping to 4-7 overall.

Series History
Thursday night's game will be the third meeting between Morgan State and Robert Morris in men's basketball. Robert Morris dropped the Bears 78-75 last year and bounced the Bears 68-49 during the 2004-05 season.

The Last Time Out
LOUISVILLE, Ky. –  Preston Knowles scored a career-high 31 points as Louisville (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) routed Morgan State 104-74 in its final tuneup before a showdown with rival Kentucky on Friday.??DeWayne Jackson led Morgan State (4-5) with 22 points but the Bears were never in it. The Cardinals needed just five minutes to build a double-digit lead and cruise to its fourth victory by at least 30 points.

Robert Morris' Last Game
TUCSON, Ariz. - Derrick Williams had 17 points and nine rebounds and Jesse Perry added 16 points as Arizona posted an 82-56 victory over the Robert Morris Wednesday night at the McCale Center. Arizona never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the opening minutes.

Looking Ahead at the Schedule
♦ Morgan Sate will take a five-day break before returning to play on the road at Baylor on Jan. 4. The Bears will return to MEAC conference play when they host Howard on Jan. 8, followed by Hampton on Jan. 10 and South Carolina State in an ESPNU televised game on Jan. 15. After road games Jan. 22-24 against Delaware State and UMES, the Bears will return home to finish off January with games against Norfolk State (Jan. 29) and North Carolina A&T (Jan. 31).

Home vs. Road
♦ The Bears are scoring about the same no matter where they play this season, averaging 70.7 points at home and 66.1 points on the road per game. The big difference is the scoring of their opponents, which are averaging 66.3 points at Hill Field House and 78.2 points per game on their respective home courts.

Thompson's Hospitality
♦ MSU junior Kevin Thompson is set to lead the Bears this season...the 6-foot-9 forward was the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was the league's most dominant post player during the 2009-10 season ... As a sophomore, Thompson averaged 12.7 points per game, 11.9 rebounds (4th best in the nation) and completed the season with 22 double-doubles (pts & rebs). He has started the 2010-11 season by notching six double-double performances in 10 games, including a 25 points and 10 rebounds outing against LaSalle (Nov. 20) and had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the loss at No. 5 Syracuse. He has also been selected twice as the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week (12/20 & 12/27).

Numbers Game
♦ Morgan State's starting backcourt of Larry Bastfield and DeWayne Thompson is combining to averaging 19.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. The tandem is also shooting 36.3 percent (68-of-187) from the floor.

♦ Thru 10 games this season, DeWayne Jackson leads the Bears in scoring (15.4 ppg) followed by Kevin Thompson (13.7 ppg).

♦ Morgan State completed the 2009-10 season as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champs, it marked the Bears second consecutive MEAC Title and they also captured their third consecutive regular season title.

♦ DeWayne Jackson, the 2010 MEAC Rookie of the Year, had a career-high 31 point explosion against Loyola Marymount in the Bears season-opener, and led the Bears with 22 points against No. 20/22 Louisville.

♦ The Bears had five players score in double-figures during their win against UMBC on Dec. 18 ... DeWayne Jackson (15), Kevin Thompson (14), Aric Brooks (14), Justin Black (10), and Tola Lawal (10).

♦ Syracuse and Louisville, both top 25 teams, combined to outscore the Bears 201-129.

♦ Morgan State will return to action on Tuesday (Jan. 4) against Baylor in Waco, Texas.