MSU Gamenotes
Game 29
No. 4 Morgan State (15-13, 10-6 MEAC) vs. No. 5 N.C. A&T (15-13, 10-5 MEAC)
Thursday, March 10, 2011 – 8:00 p.m.
Lawrence Joel Memorial Veterans – Winston-Salem, N.C.
Radio – WEAA, 88.9 FM
Live Stats/Video Feed - http://www.meachoops.com/tournament/live/
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com; www.NCATaggies.com
Follow Morgan State men's basketball on twitter @morganstbears for in-game updates and the latest news on the squad.
BALTIMORE, Md. --
No. 4 seed Morgan State (15-13, 10-6 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) travels to Winston-Salem and Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum to compete in its 40th all-time MEAC Tournament. The Bears will open tournament play on Thursday, March 10 in the 8 p.m. ET Quarterfinal matchup against No. 5 seed North Carolina A&T. The contest will be broadcast live on WEAA, 88.9 FM. For more Tournament information go to www.meachoops.com.
Should Morgan State win Thursday's Quarterfinal Round contest, it would advance to the Semifinal Round matchup set for Friday, March 11 at 6 p.m. With a win, the Bears would advance to the Championship Final set for Saturday, March 12 at 2 p.m. The Championship will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
No. 4 ranked Morgan State will enter the MEAC Tournament after winning six of its last 10 games, but losing 3-straight to finish the regular season. At 10-6, the Bears finished with 10-plus Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season wins for a school-record 4th straight season.
The Series vs. The Aggies
♦ Thursday's game will be the 80th meeting between Morgan State and N.C. A&T in men's basketball.
♦ The Aggies lead the series 47-32 since the 1950-51 season.
♦ The Bears have gone 7-9 against the Aggies since Todd Bozeman took the helm during the 2006-07 season.
♦ Senior center 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. It marked the first time the Aggies had defeated Morgan State since a 91-79 home overtime win on February 19, 2007.
Three Bears Selected All-MEAC
Sophomore guard DeWayne Jackson and junior forward Kevin Thompson were named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) All-Conference Team. Freshman guard Justin Black was selected to the All-Rookie Team.
Thompson Climbing The Charts
Kevin Thompson is the No. 5 leading rebounder in Morgan State history with 937 career rebounds. He is also ranked No. 17 on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,125 career points. He is 63 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
♦ 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 Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman clinched the MEAC regular season title (19-11, 12-3) and will enter the MEAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
♦ 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 1-12 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 went 2-5 in MEAC road contests this season. The Bears averaged 59.5 points per game during the five conference road losses, including their recent 73-60 loss at Coppin State.
♦ 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 .629 with a win-loss record of 100-59.
♦ Morgan State begins its quest for a fourth straight MEAC Championship title game appearance under Coach Todd Bozeman as it enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed.
