Gamenotes
Game 31
Morgan State (21-9, 12-1 MEAC) vs. Norfolk State (9-17, 7-6 MEAC)
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 – 4:00 p.m. (ET)
Hill Field House – Baltimore, Md.
Radio Live Stream – WEAA, 88.9 FM
The Opening Tip
Morgan State, the 2009 MEAC champion, will host conference foe Norfolk State when on Saturday, February 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Hill Field House. The game will mark the 37th meeting between the teams.
The Last Time Out
Kevin Thompson finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for Morgan State to lead the Bears to a 65-61 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Monday night. Thompson shot 7-for-11 from the field for the Bears (21-9, 12-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), who clinched their third straight regular season conference title with the win. Ameer Ali chipped in with 10 points.
Norfolk State's Last Game
NORFOLK, Va. -- Michael Deloach scored 31 points and Norfolk State cruised to an 82-62 victory over South Carolina State on Monday night. Deloach was 12-for-17 from the field and added three rebounds, four assists and five steals for the Spartans (9-17, 7-6 MEAC). Norfolk State scored 33 points off 22 Bulldogs turnovers to win its fourth straight game and sixth of the last seven.
Series History
Saturday's game will be the 37th meeting between Morgan State and Norfolk State in men's basketball. Norfolk State holds a 26-10 all-time record against Morgan State since the series began during the 1959-60 season. Morgan State has won four of the last five contests against the Spartans. The last time the Spartans defeated Morgan State was during the 2007-08 season when they dropped the Bears 71-69.
Holming In
♦ Morgan State senior guard Reggie Holmes will enter Saturday's contest averaging 21.5 points per game, including four 30 point outings thru 30 games. He currently leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in scoring and ranks in the NCAA Top 10 (ranked No. 12).
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 posted his 18th double-double of the season (24th career) when he finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds at MD-Eastern Shore (Feb.22). Thompson is among the nation's leaders in rebounds ... he ranks No. 4 (11.6 rpg) and has posted 25 rebounds in a game which is an NCAA single-game high for this season.
Numbers Game
♦ Morgan State had an 11-game winning streak snapped by S.C. State on Feb. 15 and bounced back with a win against the MEAC's No. 2 ranked Delaware State on Feb. 17 ... The Bears have won 16 of its last 21 games.
♦Morgan State is ranked 21st in the CollegeInsider. com Mid-Major Poll, marking its 4th week ranked among the top Mid-Majors in the country.
♦ Reggie Holmes has poured in 1,901 career points and needs 89 points to pass Marvin Webster as the school's all-time leading scorer … Webster scored 1,990 from 1971-75 and has held the record for 35 years.
♦ Prior to the S.C. State loss, MSU had won 12 straight regular season conference games since last year.
♦ As a result of clinching the MEAC regular season conference championship, the Bears are guarantied to play in the postseason for the third straight year.
♦The Bears shot a season-high 54.5% (30-55 FG) from the field and outscored Winston-Salem State in the paint 42-to-32.
♦ Morgan State is 15-4 when scoring 70 or more points, with losses coming at Louisville (81-90), Appalachian State in overtime (92-93) and a tough loss at Robert Morris (78-75).
♦ The final 3 minutes has been critical in the Bears' success this season… Morgan State is 19-2 this season when leading with 3 minutes to go and 2-7 when trailing with 3 minutes left.
♦ Morgan State's Reggie Holmes has been named the MEAC Player of the Week five times so far this season and Kevin Thompson has also been named seven times as Defensive Player of the Week and once as the MEAC Player of the Week.
