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GAME 15: DELAWARE STATE HORNETS  (1-13, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, January 9, 2016 • 4:00 p.m. • Hill Field House • Baltimore, Md.
Live Video Stream: www.morganstatebears.com
Radio: WEAA, 88.9 FM
Series Record: MSU leads 53-40
Head Coaches: MSU - Todd Bozeman (152-152, 10th yr) • Keith Walker – Rod Barnes (23-35, 3rd)
Website: MSU - www.morganstatebears.com; DSU - www.dsuhornets.com
 
BEARS CONTINUE MEAC SLATE SATURDAY AGAINST DELAWARE STATE
The Morgan State Bears will continue MEAC play against the Delaware State Hornets on Saturday, Jan. 9. DSU will enter the contest attempting to build on a 93-44 home win against D-III Summitt University, while the Bears are coming off an 83-80 overtime loss to Hampton.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Hill Field House. MSU will attempt to snap a 9-game losing streak.

PREVIEWING THE HORNETS
• Delaware State returns zero starters and eight letterwinners from its 2014-15 squad that went 18-18, went 9-7 and placed sixth in MEAC play, and lost to Hampton in the MEAC Tournament championship.
• Keith Walker (Clemson, '81) enters his 3rd season as head coach of the Hornets, who advanced to the MEAC Tournament championship game under his leadership a season ago. He currently holds a 23-35 record.
• The Hornets were picked ninth in the 2015-16 MEAC Preseason Poll.
• DSU does not have a single player averaging double-figures in scoring. The Hornets are led by DeAndre Haywood who is currently leading the way averaging 9.8 points per game and is shooting 42 percent from the field. Devin Morgan is averaging 8.8 ppg and is shooting 34 percent from 3-point territory. Joseph Lewis leads the Hornets on the boards with 3.2 rebounds per game and is averaging 4.4 ppg.
• DSU is shooting 37 percent from the floor as a team and has connected on 93-of-297 (.313) 3-pointers.
• DSU cracked the win column for the first time this season with a wire-to-wire 93-44 victory over Summit University in Memorial Hall on Monday. DeAndre Haywood led three Hornets in double-figures with 18 points. Aric Dickerson came off the bench in the second half to score 17 points.
 
THE SERIES
• MSU will square off against Delaware State for the 94th meeting in history between the two schools.
• The last matchup at Hill Field House was on Feb. 1, 2014. Ian Chiles scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds in helping Morgan State overcome a seven-point halftime deficit in defeating Delaware State 77-64. Justin Black finished with 14 points and Cedric Blossom posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
• MSU's last win against the Hornets was on Jan. 10, 2015 when the Bears rallied for a 73-69 win in Dover. Cedric Blossom scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Bears snap a six-game losing streak.

NEXT UP
The Bears will return to action at MD Eastern Shore on Monday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

AT THE HELM
Todd Bozeman enters his 10th year at the helm as Morgan State men's head coach. The Bears have participated in six of the last nine MEAC Tournament championships, captured back-to-back-MEAC Titles, and made appearances in the NIT and two NCAA Tournaments.
 
BEWARE THE BEAR
Under the direction of Todd Bozeman, Morgan State has collected a couple of memorable wins against big-time opponents. The Bears have recorded historic wins against: Long Island (2009); Manhattan (2009); Arkansas (2009); DePaul (2008); and Maryland (2009).
 
HOME GROWN 
Morgan State has five (5) players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area, including two from Baltimore. Senior Donte Pretlow (Dunbar High) and redshirt junior Cliff Cornish (North County) are both from Baltimore. Senior Cedric Blossom (Montrose Christian) is from Columbia and senior Andrew Hampton is from Germantown (Seneca Valley), while freshman Anthony Tate (Takoma Academy) is from Fort Washington.
 
COMFORTABLE AT HILL FIELD HOUSE
Todd Bozeman has won at least 10 home games in three of his eight seasons in Baltimore. The 2007-08 (12-1) and 2009-10 (11-1) squads finished with just a single loss, while the 2010-11 squad went 10-2. Bozeman has led the Bears to a 72-32 (.679) overall home record at Hill Field House.
 
BENCH PRODUCTION
Morgan State's depth has been evident through the Bears' first 14 games this season, with MSU averaging 21 off the bench. Coach Bozeman's bench poured in a season-high 36 points off the during a loss to Manhattan. The reserves have averaged 21.3 points in the last three contests.

BLOSSOM LEADING
Senior Cedric Blossom has scored double figures in seven of the nine games he's played this season and is currently the Bears' leading scorer by averaging 14.6 ppg. The starting forward is shooting 48 percent from the field, has converted 28-of-45 (.622) free throws and is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game. He enters Saturday's contest coming off a solid performance vs. Hampton in which he posted 14 points (5-14 FG) with six boards in 38 minutes. He scored a season-high 25-point performance against Manhattan in which he shot 7-for-13 from the field, 79 percent (11-14 FT) from the stripe and had seven boards. The Preseason All-MEAC Second Team selection is averaging 15.0 thru the last three games for the Bears.

THE CARR IMPACT
The Bears frontcourt got an infusion of talent in the frontcourt with the addition of Phillip Carr. The 6-foot-8 forward Williston State transfer Phillip Carr is not only a force on the glass, but he's also blooming as a scoring threat for the Bears. Carr is averaging 9.9 points and 7.2 rebounds (No. 7 in MEAC) in 14 starts. He posted a season-best 17 rebounds and finished with 14 points in the Bears home-opener win against Goldey-Beacom (Nov. 23). He has pulled down eight or more rebounds in seven games so far this season.  Carr scored a season-high 20 points (6-17 FG) with five boards against CSUN (Jan. 2), and Wednesday he posted a double-double vs. Hampton (10 pts, 10 rebs).

DONTE'S INFERNO
Senior Donte Pretlow exploded during Morgan State's overtime thriller against Hampton (Jan. 6). The 6-foot point guard led the Bears with a career-high 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, including a couple of coast-to-coast transition layups. The Baltimore product (Dunbar HS) also finished with a game-high six assists to go along with six rebounds and a steal. "Tay" ranks among the league leaders in assists by dishing out 4.2 per game (No. 3 in MEAC), ranks No. 2 in assist/turnover ratio (1.7) and ranks Top 10 in the league in steals (No. 9 – 1.2 spg). Pretlow has dished out at least five assists in six games this season, including a season high eight assists versus UC Riverside (Dec. 28).

STARTING LINEUPS
Morgan State head coach Todd Bozeman has been mixing his lineups up during the early going of the season. The Bears have had a total of eight different starting lineups through the first 14 games.