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Game 13
Opponent: CSUN Matadors (2-11)
Date: Saturday, December 30, 2017
Site:  The Matadome, Northridge, Calif.
Game Time: 10 p.m. 
Series Record: CSUN leads the series 4-0
Live Stats: gomatadors.com
Live Stream: CSUN Sports Network - gomatadors.com
Radio: CSUN Sports Network presented by Dignity Health with Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister on the call.
MSU Coaches: MSU - Todd Bozeman (177-186, 12th yr) • CSUN - Reggie Theus (39-93 5th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.gomatadors.com

SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (4-8) returns to the hardwood on Saturday, Dec. 30, as the Bears face Big West Conference member CSUN. Game time is slated for 10 p.m. ET at The Matadome in Northridge, California. The contest will be streamed live by CSUN Sports Network (www.gomatadors.com). The matchup will close out the non-conference season for a Bears team looking to snap a 6-game losing streak.  MSU suffered a 100-74 loss to Grand Canyon on Wednesday (Dec. 27) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. CSUN snapped an 11-game losing streak by posting a wire-to-wire victory over San Diego Christian, 93-63, on Wednesday evening at The Matadome.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS
• CSUN, a member of the Big West Conference, begins the fifth season under head coach Reggie Theus ... Theus, a former All-American at UNLV, spent 13 seasons in the NBA and was a two-time All-Star.
• CSUN finished the 2016-17 season with a 11-19 overall mark and finished with a 11-3 mark in the WAC ... The Matadors fell to Cal State Fullerton, 81-68, in the Big West Tournament opening round a the Honda Center.
• The Matadors have three players averaging in double figures, led by senior 6-8 forward Tavrion Dawson who is averaging 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Dawson is shooting 45 percent from the field and is shooting 73 percent from the free throw line. Senior guard Michael Warren and freshman guard Terrell Gomez are averaging 13.1 ppg and 10.8 ppg, respectively.  
• 6-5 senior guard Michael Warren is ranked No. 6 in the Big West Conference in rebounding (6.5 rpg).
• CSUN is averaging 66.7 points per game (No. in 7 in Big West), while holding its opponents to 73.8 points.
• The Matadors are shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point territory.
• CSUN is second in the Big West with the least turnovers per game at 11.9.
• The Matadors face four teams this season that won 20 games in 2016-17 (Fresno State, George Mason, California and Eastern Washington).
• Tavrion Dawson scored a career-high 33 points on 14-of-22 shooting to go with five rebounds and three assists during the Matadors, 93-63, win against San Diego Chrisitan on Wednesday evening at The Matadome.

THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the fifth matchup between the schools ... The Matadors lead the series 4-0
•  Kendall Smith scored 19 points CSUN snapped a four game losing streak by posting an 82-61 win over Morgan State at The Matadome on Dec. 30, 2016.

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. The 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 CSUN Dec. 30.

THE CHARITY STRIPE
The Bears have started the 2017-18 season by shooting 70.4 percent (190-270; No. 5 in MEAC) from the stripe. Phillip Carr  is shooting 80.6 percent (50-62; No. 7), followed by Martez Cameron at 77.8 percent (35-45; No. 13) and LaPri McCray-Pace at 70.2 percent (33-47).
• Tiwian Kendley will enter Saturday's contest versus CSUN after shooting a perfect 12-for-12 from the stripe against Grand Canyon (Dec. 27) ... he's shooting 83 percent (19-23) from the line thru his first two contests.

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 76.4 points (No. 4 in MEAC) thru the first 12 games.
• The Bears rank No. 8 in the MEAC in field goal percentage defense at 46.5 percent.
• The Bears rank No. 9 in the MEAC in three-point field goal percentage defense at 38.2 percent.

FIELD GOAL SHOOTING
• Morgan State is shooting 39.4 percent from the floor.
• The Bears have shot under 50 percent from the floor in its first nine of 12 games.
• Morgan State has shot 50 percent or better in two of its last eight 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 – Tiwian Kendley (.452) and Elijah Staley (.526),  while Stanley Davis is shooting 46.4 percent off the bench.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Bears close out the 2017 calendar with eight straight road games.
• Morgan State opened 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 19th career double-double with 18 points and a game-high 12 boards vs. Grand Canyon (Dec. 27).
•  Carr currently ranks No. 2 in the MEAC by averaging 8.8 rebounds per game in the first 12 games of the season.
•  He was selected as the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week (Dec. 26) following an impressive performance during the Bears' tough loss at George Mason ... Carr posted his fifth double-double of the season (18th in his career) which featured a game-high 10 rebounds ... He also had two blocks in 35 minutes of action.

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 12 rebounds versus Grand Canyon and currently ranks among the school's leaders in rebounds ranks No. 13 with 559 boards. 
•  Carr is two rebounds shy passing Ian Chiles for No. 12 on the school's all-time rebounds list.

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 third leading scorer averaging 10.8 points, ranks fourth with 3.8 assists per game (9th MEAC), and ranks seventh in the MEAC with 1.6 steals per game. 

UH OH...GUESS WHO'S BACK
Guess who's back. Tiwian is back.
•  After missing the first 10 games of the 2017-18 season, senior guard Tiwian Kendley has returned to the hardwood for the Bears.
•  The Harlem product provided quite an offensive explosion for the Bears during his season debut at George Mason last Friday night at EagleBank Arena.
•  The 6-5 guard missed his first shot of the night, but completed the first half with 20 points (4-5 3FG).
• He finished with a game-high 31 points (10-22 FG) and shot an efficient 7-of-11 from 3-point territory and grabbed five boards in 35 minutes of action.
• Kendley followed the performance with another 31-point outing when the Bears played Grand Canyon at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas (Dec. 27) ... he shot 8-of-20 from the field and was perfect from the free throw line (12-12 FT)  and pitched in four steals in 37 minutes of action.

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.