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GAME 27: NORFOLK STATE SPARTANS  (14-14, 10-3 MEAC)
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 • 7:00 p.m. • Hill Field House  • Baltimore, Md.
Live Stream: www.MorganStateBears.com
Radio: WEAA, 88.9 FM (weaa.org)
Series Record: Norfolk State leads the series 33-15
Head Coaches: MSU - Todd Bozeman (156-160, 10th yr) • NSU– Robert Jones (53-43, 3rd yr)
Website: MSU - www.morganstatebears.com; www.nsuspartans.com

BEARS WELCOME NORFOLK STATE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Morgan State will resume MEAC play when they host the Norfolk State Spartans (14-14, 10-3 MEAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Hill Field House. The Spartans will enter the contest fresh off of an 85-77 home win against Coppin State on Monday night, while the Bears snapped a 5-game losing streak by posting a 72-51 win against N.C. A&T.

PREVIEWING THE SPARTANS
• NSU returns five lettermen and a pair of starters from a 2014-15 squad that finished 20-14 overall, and 12-4 in MEAC play (2nd place).
• Robert Jones (New Paltz, '02) is in his 3rd season at the helm for Norfolk State. He was named the interim head coach of the NSU basketball team on April 15, 2013, following the resignation of former head coach Anthony Evans.
• The Spartans were picked 3rd in the 2015-16 MEAC Preseason Poll.
• NSU's redshirt senior guard Jeff Short (6-4, 205) is among the league's leading scorers by pacing the Spartans with 16.1 points per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent from the 3. Senior D'Shon Taylor (6-5, 205) and r-senior guard Charles Oliver (6-3, 215) and are also scoring in double-figures by averaging 12.8 ppg and 12.5 ppg, respectively. Jordan Butler leads the team in rebounds with 7.0 boards per game.
• NSU ranks No. 1 in the MEAC in 3FG percentage (.356) and free throws (.773), and ranks No. 2 in scoring per game (73.9 ppg).
•  Jeff Short had 17 points on Monday night, D'Shon Taylor chipped in 15 and Norfolk State beat Coppin State 85-77. Charles Oliver scored 12 and Butler 11 for the Spartans.

THE SERIES
• MSU will square off against Norfolk State for the 49th meeting in history between the two schools.
• The last matchup in Baltimore was on Feb. 14, 2015. Andrew Hampton hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points and Cliff Cornish hit two free throws and blocked a shot in the final seconds to help MSU upset the Spartans 73-70.
• MSU's last game against the Spartans was Feb. 13, 2016. Jordan Butler had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career high-tying seven blocks, helping Norfolk State to a school-record 17 blocks and a 79-73 win over Morgan State. Alex Long had 12 points and four blocks, and Preston Bungei added three blocks for Norfolk State, whose previous record for blocks was 13.

NEXT UP
The Bears will conclude the month with a crosstown road rematch against Coppin State on Saturday, Feb. 27.
 
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.

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 76-35 (.685) overall home record at Hill Field House.

LARGEST MARGIN IN WIN
Morgan State posted an 83-43 victory over Coppin State (Feb. 1) for its largest margin of victory this season, and its largest margin of victory against the Eagles. The Bears also posted an 83-63 victory over Howard (Jan. 30)...so in its last two contests, Bozeman's Bears have outscored its last two opponents by a whopping 166-106 margin. Prior to the win against Howard, the Bears' previous largest margin of victories had been by five (5) points. On Nov. 21, 2015 the Bears posted their first win of the season with a 59-54 win at Campbell University, and on Jan. 9, 2016 they recorded a 63-58 victory against Delaware State.

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 nine different starting lineups through the first 25 games.

EXTRA FRAMES
The Bears are 0-1 this season when playing in overtime. With the 83-80 loss to Hampton on Jan. 6, the Bears have lost its last two overtime contests, however they've won three of its last four matchups. Morgan State's last overtime victory was a 74-67 win against Marist on Nov. 25, 2013.

BLOSSOM SCORES 1,000^th POINT
Cedric Blossom reached the 1,000 point mark in his career during Morgan State's 72-51 win over N.C. A&T inside Hill Field House. Blossom is the 24^th MSU player to score 1,000 points, joining the likes of DeWayne Jackson, Kevin Thompson, Justin Black and the school's all-time scoring leader Reginald Holmes. "It feels like I've gotten a burden off of my chest," said Blossom. "I was in between letting it be a distraction and wanting to get a win with the rest of the team. I'm glad I was able to reach the mark and focus on closing the game out. I don't have to worry about that for the rest of the year, and now we can try and make a run in the MEAC Tournament." Blossom finished with a game-high 20 points points — giving him 1,008 career points. He added five rebounds, and a steal as he made 7 of 11 shots from the field. The milestone basket came in the first 33 seconds of the second half. Donte Pretlow delivered a pass into the post to Blossom. He spun on his defender and put in a jump-hook.

"TAY" DIMES
With a career-high nine (9) assists with zero turnovers during a brilliant floor-game against N.C. A&T on Feb. 22, senior point guard Donte Pretlow has dished out a total of 98 assists in 25 starts for the Bears. The senior is currently averaging 3.9 assists per game (Ranked No. 6 in MEAC) and had eight dimes versus UC Riverside on Dec. 28, 2015… he also had eight assists at Manhattan on Dec. 20, 2014. "Tay" will enter the Norfolk State game this Wednesday with 310 career assists in 114 games...ranked No. 3 in school history.

DOUBLE DUB CREW
Phillip Carr, Cedric Blossom and Rasean Simpson have recorded double-doubles in points and rebounds for the Bears this season. With 14 points and 17 rebounds against Goldey Beacom on Nov. 23, Carr posted the first double-double of the season. He posted his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 boards at South Carolina State (Feb. 8). Blossom finished with a 17 points and 12 rebounds on Dec. 23 against Rider, and exploded for career-highs with 28 points and 15 rebounds at Norfolk State on Feb. 13. Simpson collected his third double-double of the season by posting 17 points and 10 rebounds in a victory against N.C. A&T on Feb. 22. He had 18 points and 13 boards versus Coppin State (Feb. 1) and had 11 points and 10 boards against CSUN (Jan. 2).

FOUR SENIORS
Head coach Todd Bozeman has four senior Bears who will be wrapping up their final games in a Blue and Orange uniform. The group of veterans includes: Cedric Blossom, Rasean Simpson, and Donte Pretlow. Andrew Hampton, who suffered a season-ending injury, will also be completing his collegiate career with the Bears.