Rodney Stokes recorded a double-double.
Boxscore
Bear Shots
BALTIMORE, Md. – Kevin Thompson scored 18 points to lead to a 67-62 Bracketbusters victory over Virginia Military Institute on Saturday at Hill Field House. With the win the Bears extended their winning streak to three games.
The Bears (13-10) extended their winning streak to three games and improved to 2-1 in ESPN Bracketbuster games since 2009.
Morgan State's big-man tandem of Thompson and Rodney Stokes proved to be a load for the undersized Keydets.
Thompson shot 9-for-9 from the field with eight rebounds, while senior post player Stokes had 16 points and posted a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots. The duo combined for just over half of the Bears' 67 total points.
“I felt we did a good job, and bottom line is we won,” said Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman. “Kevin [Thompson] and [Rodney] Stokes really brought a lot to the table. We had the size advantage and we really wanted to use it to control the tempo. Because if you control the tempo, you can determine the outcome of the game.”
The Keydets (15-12), who entered the contest as one of the leading scoring teams in the nation (90.3 ppg), led 35-34 at halftime. But the Bears opened the second half on an 11-2 run. Thompson's layup at the 15:04 mark gave the Bears a 41-40 lead, and they ended up holding the lead from that point forward.
Morgan State held its largest lead of the game when Larry Bastfield hit a jumper to put his team up 61-54 with 4:19 left to play. The Keydets whittled the lead 63-61 when D.J. Covington hit a jumper with 15 seconds to go but couldn't get closer as Bastfield and Aric Brooks ended up hitting a pair of free throws apiece to help put the game away.
Bastfield finished with nine points and five rebounds, while Brooks chipped in nine points and seven boards. DeWayne Jackson added 10.
Austin Kenon, who poured in 39 points Tuesday night in a win at Liberty, paced the Keydets with 18 points, but was held to 6-of-20 shooting. Keith Gabrial and D.J. Covington added 15 and 10 points respectively.
The Bears shot 46.6 percent from the field and were 11 of 18 from the free throw line. The Keydets shot 37.7 percent and made 10-of-33 3-pointers.
Morgan State outscored VMI in the paint by a 36-24 margin, and held a 30-17 advantage in scoring off the bench.
The Bears will have two days to prepare for a conference matchup with MD-Eastern Shore on Monday night at Hill Field House. The game will be televised by ESPNU and will tip-off at 9:05 p.m.
