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Game 11
Opponent: George Mason Patriots (5-7)
Date: Friday, December 22, 2017
Site:  EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
Game Time: 7 p.m. 
Series Record: George Mason leads 2-1
Live Stats/Video: gomason.com
Radio: Heritage Radio Sports Network (HSRN.org)
MSU Coaches: MSU - Todd Bozeman (177-184, 12th yr) • George Mason - Dave Paulsen (36-42 3rd yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.gomason.com

SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (4-6) returns to the hardwood on Friday, Dec. 22, as the Bears face Atlantic 10 member George Mason. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. at EagleBank Arena and the contest will be broadcast live on Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com). The game against the Patriots is the first of three-straight that MSU will play on the road to close out the 2017 calendar. It's also the sixth of eight straight road games when they take on the George Mason. MSU suffered its fourth straight loss after dropping 80-66 at Manhattan on Dec. 9. George Mason had a 72-54 setback to Penn State last Sunday afternoon inside EagleBank Arena.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
• George Mason, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, begins the third season under head coach Dave Paulsen ... Paulsen came to Mason from Bucknell, where he earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors on three occasions.
• George Mason finished the 2016-17 season with a 20-14 overall mark and finished with a 9-9 mark in the A10 ... The Patriots fell to VCU in the second round of the conference tournament, 71-60 ... They fell to Loyola (Md.) in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament.
• Junior 5-11 guard Otis Livingston II (14.3 ppg) has led the Patriots in scoring. Junior 6-5 guard Jaire Grayer is also averaging double figures with 13.7 ppg with 8.3 rebounds, and 6-7 freshman guard Goanar Mar has added 11.9 ppg.
• Redshirt freshman forward AJ Wilson ranks No. 6 in the A10 with 1.4 blocks per game.
• Grayer is ranked No. 4 in in the A10 in rebounding (8.3 rpg)
• George Mason is averaging 66.9 points per game, while holding its opponents to 71.8 points (9th in A10).
• The Patriots rank T-No. 6 in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.323).
• The Patriots are the 20th-youngest team in the nation this season according to Ken Pomeroy's experience stat (1.00 years/player).

THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the fourth matchup between the schools with George Mason leading the series 2-1. 
•  Morgan State recorded an 85-82 victory against George Mason on January 2, 1994 at the Patriot Center.
• George Mason recorded a 113-72 victory against Morgan State on February 11, 1985 at GMU Field House ... It marked the Patriots fifth-straight win. 

AT THE HELM
Todd Bozeman enters his 12th year at the helm as Morgan State men's head coach. The Bears have participated in six of the last 11 MEAC Tournament championships, captured back-to-back-MEAC Titles, and made appearances in the NIT and two NCAA Tournaments. Bozeman is also the school's all-time winningest coach with 177 victories...and counting!

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 three players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Returning sophomore forward Azariah Sykes is from Richmond, Va. and graduated from Milwood HS. Returning sophomore center Tyjhai Byers is from Bethesda and was a prep standout at Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS, while Harlem native Tiwian Kendley is not from the DMV... he did play at Eleanor Roosevelt HS.

CARR NAMED MEAC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR, KENDLEY SELECTED TO FIRST TEAM
The MEAC announced that Morgan State forward Phillip Carr is the 2017-18 MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.
• Carr, a Brooklyn, New York, native, led the Bears in rebounding, and was second on the team in scoring last season.
• He was selected to the All-MEAC's first team while being the third Bear to earn the Defensive Player of the Year honor (Boubacar Coly – 2008, Kevin Thompson - 2010).
• Carr becomes the first Bear to be named the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year since Kevin Thompson before his senior season in 2010. Reggie Holmes is the last Bear to win the regular-season award, when he received the award in 2009.
• Todd Bozeman's Bears received 13 of 26 first-place votes, outdistancing Norfolk State, and reigning champion North Carolina Central atop the standings.
• Carr led the five-man preseason All-MEAC First-Team and was joined by teammate Tiwian Kendley, who was the MEAC's leading scorer after averaging 21.0 points per game last season. The rest of that group was Norfolk State's Zaynah Robinson, Bethune-Cookman's Brandon Tabb and Howard's Charles Williams.

BOZEMAN'S BRAIN TRUST
Morgan State head basketball coach Todd Bozeman coaching staff returns for their third season. The0 Bears coaching staff consists of assistant coaches Brian Ellerbe, Larry Stewart, and Hans Desir.
• Ellerbe spent four years at Virginia, starting in 1990. He worked under Jeff Jones, now coach at Old Dominion. He was also the first African-American Head Coach at Loyola University, Maryland and The University of Michigan.
• Stewart was the Associate Head Coach for the Bowie State men's basketball team where he spent six seasons. He played with the NBA's Bullets, Vancouver Grizzlies and Seattle Super Sonics until 1997. His brother, Stephen, is an assistant coach at Coppin State.
• Desir, a Miami native, joins the Bears staff with over 10 years of coaching experience. he was previously lead assistant coach for J.T. Burton at Motlow College.

CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The year will open the 2017-18 season with a pair of road matchups, first  at Binghamton Nov. 10, followed by South Florida Nov. 13. The Bears' season-opener will be Nov. 16 versus Lincoln (Pa.), followed by a Nov. 18 date at West Virginia. The Bears will host Goldey Beacom Nov. 21 for its final home contest of the year. The Bears remaining seven non-conference  games will occur on the road. MSU will wrap the month of November at Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 27) and George Washington (Nov. 29). The Bears travel schedule will continue with matchups at Navy (Dec.3 ), Towson (Dec. 6), Manhattan (Dec. 9) and George Mason (Dec 22). MSU's west coast swing will begin with a trip to face Grand Canyon Dec. 27 in Las Vegas, followed by a game at CA-Northridge Dec. 30.

THE CHARITY STRIPE
The Bears completed the 2016-17 season ranked No. 2 in the conference in free throw percentage by shooting 71.1 percent (484-681) from the line. Phillip Carr ranked No. 3 (.829) in the league, while Tiwian Kendleyshot .786 from the stripe (No. 7 in MEAC).
• The Bears have started the 2017-18 season by shooting 70.0 percent (147-210; No. 6 in MEAC) from the stripe. Phillip Carr  is shooting 79.6 percent (39-49), followed by Martez Cameron at 77.8 percent (35-45) and LaPri McCray-Pace at 72.7 percent (32-44).

BEAR D 
The Bears defense was ranked among the conference leaders a season ago and should once again be solid defensively for 2017-18 season.
• MSU's defense has limited opponents to an average of 73.1 points (No. 2 in MEAC) thru the first 10 games.
• The Bears rank No. 5 in the MEAC in field goal percentage defense at 45.3 percent.
• The Bears rank No. 10 in the MEAC in three-point field goal percentage defense at 38.1 percent.

FIELD GOAL SHOOTING
• Morgan State is shooting 40.1 percent from the floor.
• The Bears have shot under 50 percent from the floor in its first seven of 10 games.
• Morgan State has shot 50 percent or better in two of its last six contests ... they shot 50 percent against Goldey-Beacom (Nov. 21) and a season-high 52 percent at Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 27).
• Two starters are shooting better than 40 percent from the floor – Stanley Davis (.509) and Antonio Gillespie is shooting 43.9 percent off the bench and 45.2 percent (T-3rd MEAC) from beyond the arc.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Bears close out the 2017 calendar with eight straight road games starting with Mount St. Mary's on Monday night and at George Washington on Wednesday (Nov. 29).
• Morgan State will open the month of December with a date at Navy on Dec. 3, followed by matchups at Towson Dec. 6, at Manhattan Dec. 9, and at
George Mason Dec. 22.
• The Bears will wrap the non-conference schedule with a west coast swing to face Grand Canyon on Dec. 27 in Las Vegas, followed by a contest at
California State, Northridge Dec. 30.

COMFORTABLE AT HILL FIELD HOUSE
Todd Bozeman has won at least 10 home games in three of his 11 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 88-41 (.682) overall home record at  Hill Field House.

RETURNING PTS, REBS, ASTS
Morgan State returns 80.8 percent of its scoring from a season in which the team averaged 67.5 ppg during the 2016-17 season of 67.5 points ... MSU returns 74.9 boards a game from a year ago and that's about 74.3 percent of last year's team average of 39.0 a game ... When it comes to assists, MSU returns 263 assists from the total of 322 assists from last season or 81.7 percent returning.

BOARD CHAIR
Phillip Carr, the reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, led the Bears in a 72-60 win over Lincoln-Pa. in which he grabbed a career record 19 rebounds, completely controlling the glass against the Lions.
•  Carr's 19 boards (ranks T-No. 5 highest in the nation) bested his previous record of 17, which he set Nov. 23, 2015 against Goldey-Beacom. 
•  Carr posted his 17th career double-double with a season-high 25 points and a game-high 10 boards at Towson (Dec. 9).
•  Carr currently ranks No. 3 in the MEAC by averaging 8.3 rebounds per game in the first 10 games of the season.

CARR REACHES 500 REBOUNDS
•  Senior forward Phillip Carr recorded his 500th rebound at Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 27 in his 61st career game.
•  Carr recorded a game-high 10 rebounds at Towson and currently ranks among the school's leaders in rebounds ranks No. 13 with 537 boards. 
•  Carr is 25 rebounds away passing Ian Chiles for No. 12 on the school's all-time rebounds list.

HE'S BACK… DISHING OUT DIMES
MSU junior point guard Martez Cameron led the Bears in assists during the 2016-17 by averaging just under four per game (4.3) in 30 starts.
•  Cameron notched 9 points (5-6 FT) and dished out a game-high five assists in the season opener against the Binghamton.
•  He scored 11 points (4-4 FT) with five dimes and three steals in 35 minutes during the Bears win versus Lincoln-Pa.
•  He poured in a career-high 19 points (8-16 FG) and had four assists and two steals in 36 minutes at George Washington.
•  The Chicago product is currently the team's second leading scorer averaging 11.9 points, ranks third in the MEAC with 1.8 steals per game, and ranks fourth with 3.7 assists per game (9th MEAC). 

DID YOU KNOW? 
Neither of the team's two best players, MEAC Preseason Player of the Year Phillip Carr and preseason first-team All-MEAC selection Tiwian Kendley, started their career at Morgan State. Carr, a senior forward, played for a year apiece at junior colleges Mohawk Valley (N.Y.) and Williston State (N.D.). Kendley, a senior guard, spent two years at Lamar Community College (Colo.) after a standout high school career at Eleanor Roosevelt in Prince George's County.

ABOUT MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is celebrating its 150th year of excellence in higher education. A Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution, Morgan offers more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.