Junior forward Kevin Thompson
MSU Gamenotes
Game 28
Morgan State (15-12, 10-5 MEAC) vs. Coppin State (15-13, 10-5 MEAC)
Thursday, March 3, 2011 – 7:30 p.m.
Physical Education Complex – Baltimore, Md.
Radio –N/A
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com; www.CoppinStateSports.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 Coppin State on Thursday, March 3 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season finale. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. at Coppin State's Physical Education Complex. MSU 15-12 will attempt to rebound from back-to-back conference road losses at Norfolk State (Feb. 26, 69-63) and Monday night at North Carolina A&T (68-60). The Eagles beat Norfolk State 76-69 at Echols Hall on Monday night. The win improved Coppin State to 15-13 overall and 10-5 in the MEAC.
The Last Time Out
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Thomas Coleman scored 21 points and added nine rebounds and three blocks to lead North Carolina A&T to a 68-60 win during Monday night's ESPNU nationally televised game at Corbett Sports Center. Rodney Stokes scored a career-high 18 points (8- 11 FG) with eight rebounds and three blocked shots for the Bears.
Coppin State's Last Game
NORFOLK, Va. – Jordan Lee scored a game- high 20 points and Coppin State made 24-of- 28 free throw attempts to defeat Norfolk State 76-69 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game on Monday in Echols Hall. Lee, who was 6-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the line, led four players in double-figure scoring for the Eagles. Michael Harper had 14 points and Vince Goldsberry and Tony Gallo each had 13 points.
The Series vs. The Eagles
♦ Thursday night's game will be the 71st meeting between the two teams.
♦ The Eagles lead the series 49-21 since 1975, including an 11-game winning streak against the Bears from 1989 to 1994.
♦ The Bears have beaten Coppin State six straight times, including eight of the last nine in the cross-town rivalry.
♦ Morgan State has held Coppin State to less than 70 points in nine consecutive meetings. Six of the last 11 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.
♦ In their last meeting on Dec. 4, 2010, Morgan State opened their MEAC defense with a hard fought 70-64 win over crosstown rival Coppin State at Hill Field House tonight before a crowd of 3,107. The win also marked the sixth consecutive victory for Morgan State against the Eagles. Coppin State (2-3, 0-1) entered the game focused on stopping Kevin Thompson, one of the top post players in the MEAC. However, it was forward DeWayne Jackson that caused a ruckus for the Eagles, scoring a game-high 24 points on the evening.
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 9.0 rpg and has recorded 12 double-double performances in 27 games, including a 11 points and 12 rebounds outing Monday against North Carolina A&T (Feb. 28).
♦ This season, Thompson made a string of 12 straight baskets, including a perfect night (9-9 FG) against VMI (Feb. 19).
Thompson Climbing The Charts
♦ Kevin Thompson is the No. 5 leading rebounder in Morgan State history with 930 career rebounds.
♦ He is also ranked No. 17 on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,118 career points.
♦ He is 70 rebounds shy of 1,000 career rebounds, which would make him only the third Morgan State player to post 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in school history.
♦ Marvin Webster (1,990 pts; 2,267 rebs) and Eric Evans (1,949 pts; 1,196 rebs) are the only two Bears to have achieved such an accomplishment.
Numbers Game
♦ With Morgan State (10-5) and Coppin State (10-5) set to face off on Thursday, the loser could end up tied with North Carolina A&T at 10-6, should the Aggies win at Echols Hall in Norfolk Thursday ... The final seedings will probably go to tiebreakers between Morgan, Coppin, Hampton and A&T after Thursday's games.
♦ The Bears win against Delaware State (Feb. 23), marked Todd Bozeman's 100th victory as Morgan State's head coach.
♦ 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 in 2nd place … The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman clinched the MEAC regular season title (19-11, 12-3).
♦ 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 1-11 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 have gone 2-4 in MEAC road contests. The Bears have averaged 59 points per game during the four conference road losses, including their recent 68-60 loss at North Carolina A&T.
♦ 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).
♦ Coach Todd Bozeman has led the Bears to a 44-8 (.846) home record inside the confines of Hill Field House, including a home season finale win against Delaware State on Feb. 23.
♦ Morgan State has scored 80 or more points in only one game this season when they defeated Loyola Marymount 81-79.
♦ Todd Bozeman is one of 8 coaches in MEAC history with a winning percentage above .600. Coach Bozeman's current winning percentage is .633 with a win-loss record of 100-58.
