MSU Gamenotes
Game 26
Morgan State (15-10, 10-3 MEAC) vs. Norfolk State (8-18, 6-7 MEAC)
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 – 6:00 p.m.
Echols Hall – Norfolk, Va.
Live Audio Stream – http://mmedia.nsu.edu:8089/wnsb
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com; www.nsuspartans.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 two-time MEAC defending champions, will face Norfolk State on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. at Echols Hall in Norfolk, Va. MSU 15-10 will enter the game fresh off of a 42-39 conference win against Delaware State Wednesday night at Hill Field House. The Bears are currently riding a 5-game winning streak, with three regular season game remaining. Norfolk State fell at South Carolina State 64-62 on Monday night in Orangeburg, S.C. The loss dropped the Spartans to 8-18 overall and 6-7 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The Last Time Out
BALTIMORE, Md. – Kevin Thompson pulled down 12 rebounds as Morgan State ruled the boards and defeated Delaware State 42-39 Wednesday night in the lowest-scoring game of the season for both teams. Without a player scoring in double figures, the Bears (15-10, 10-3, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) won their fifth straight by outrebounding Delaware State 42-24. Adam Braswell had nine points to lead Morgan State.
Norfolk State's Last Game
ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- Darnell Porter scored a game-high 18 points and Brandon Riley chipped in with 14 as host South Carolina State handed Norfolk State to its second straight loss, 64-62, on Monday night at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Kyle O'Quinn posted 14 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots for the Spartans (8-18, 6-7 MEAC), who have lost five of six.
The Series vs. The Spartans
♦ Saturday's game will be the 39th meeting between Morgan State and Norfolk State Shore in men's basketball.
♦ Morgan State has won four of the last six contests against the Spartans, including two overtime games during the 2009-10 season.
♦ The Spartans hold a 27-11 all-time record against MSU since the series began during the 1959-60 season.
♦ The last time the Spartans defeated Morgan State was on Jan, 29, 2011 when Kyle O'Quinn scored 24 points to help lead the Norfolk State Spartans to a 76-74 upset victory in an ESPNU nationally televised game. DeWayne Jackson poured in a team-high 19 points in the loss for Morgan State, who suffered its first conference home loss since falling to South Carolina State 71-68 on February 15, 2010; Coincidentally, that game was also during an ESPNU televised matchup at Hill Field House when they dropped the Bears 76-67.
Thompson's Hospitality
♦ MSU junior Kevin Thompson, the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, continues to be one of the league's most dominant post players.
♦ Thompson has started the 2010-11 season by averaging 12.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg and has recorded 10 double-double performances in 25 games, including a 25 points and 10 rebounds outing against LaSalle (Nov. 20).
♦ Thompson will enter the Saturday's contest fresh off of recording 9 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Delaware State.
♦ This season, Thompson made a string of 12 straight baskets, including a perfect night (9-9 FG) against VMI (Feb. 19).
Numbers Game
♦ Wednesday night's win against Delaware State, marked Todd Bozeman's 100th victory as Morgan State's head coach … his current record is 100-56 (.641) in 5 seasons.
♦ NSU will attempt to slow down the No. 5 ranked scoring team (67.4) in the MEAC when they host Morgan State on Saturday ... The Spartans have the conference's No. 10 ranked scoring defense and have limited opponents to an average of 77.0 points per game.
♦ 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 ... the Bears are currently tied for 1st place with Bethune-Cookman with three conference losses apiece … the Bears would win a tie-breaker with the Wildcats as a result recording a 65-57 victory on Feb. 7th in Daytona Beach.
♦ Morgan State was picked to finish as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champs again this year … the Bears received 20 first place votes and totaled 476 points to garner the league's top position for the second year in a row.
♦ Morgan State has posted a 13-1 record when leading with 3 minutes left to play, and are 1-9 when trailing with 3 minutes left. The only loss they had when leading down the stretch was at Delaware State on January 20, 2011.
♦ The Bears did not have a single player score in double-figures during the win against Delaware State on Feb. 23 … Sophomore guard Adam Braswell led Morgan State with 9 points off of the bench.
♦ Morgan State's junior captain Ameer Ali missed the VMI and MD-Eastern Shore games, due to a shoulder injury suffered during the South Carolina State game on Feb. 14th in Orangeburg, S.C.
Ali made his return against Delaware State (Feb. 23).
♦ Following their matchup with Norfolk State, the Bears will have two days to prepare for an ESPNU matchup at North Carolina A&T on Tuesday, February 28 at the Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro, N.C. ... DeWayne Jackson scored 18 points, including the game-winning free throws with 15.5 seconds left, as Morgan State edged North Carolina A&T 68-66 on January 31, 2011 in Baltimore.
