Kevin Thompson recorded his 13th double-double of the season with 24 points and 12 rebounds on Thursday.
Boxscore
Bear Shots
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. --
Kevin Thompson put in a dominating performance, coming off the bench to pour in a gamer-high 24 points, grab 12 rebounds and block three shots to help Morgan State defeat North Carolina A&T, 77-59 in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament at the Joel Coliseum.
The Bears (16-13), the Number 4 seed, advance to the semifinal round where they will play Bethune Cookman, the Number 1 seed at 6 pm.
Thompson set the tone early in the first half when he entered the game and proceeded to score 18 points, connecting on all six of his shots from the floor. Morgan State led, 43-33 at intermission.
“I am proud of Kevin and the way he played,” said Morgan State head coach Todd Bozeman. “He has been hurt lately and he was anxious to redeem himself.”
NC A&T coach Jerry Eaves offered his take on the play of Thompson, the pre-season MEAC Player of the Year and a second team all-conference selection.
“Thompson had a huge night. That gave them a big boost. My hat is off to him and the Morgan State Bears.”
With the Aggies (15-17) concerned about Thompson's inside presence, it opened up things for other Bear players. Aric Brooks (11 point) and DeWayne Jackson (11 points). They got good looks from the perimeter. Morgan State shot 50 percent from the floor (26 of 52).
The Bears defense was especially effective, forcing the Aggies to miss 33 shots, including 13 from the three-point line, one of their staples.
“It seemed like we were able to get some good looks but they would not fall,” lamented Eaves. “I can't count how many shots went in and came out. And then we hurt ourselves with 15 turnovers. It was very frustrating to get to this point in the season and not play well.”
The Bears entered the game on a three-game losing streak. But Bozeman says he nor the team ever wavered.
“We had good practices this week and I felt the confidence of the team,” said Bozeman, who has led Morgan State to two straight regular season and tournament titles. “They were anxious to get out here and redeem themselves.”
The Aggies were led by Thomas Coleman, a first team all-MEAC selection, who tallied 14 points and Marc Hill, who contributed 10 points.
