Game 18
Opponent: North Carolina A&T Aggies (8-9, 3-0 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, January 19, 2019
Site: Corbett Sports Center, Greensboro, N.C.
Game Time: 4 p.m. 
Series Record: NCAT leads 53-36
Live Stats/Video: ncataggies.com
Radio: n/a
Coaches: MSU - Todd Bozeman (154-207, 13th yr) • N.C. A&T - Jay Joyner (87–187, 8th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.ncataggies.com

SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (7-10, 2-2) returns to conference action on Saturday, Jan. 19 looking to post its second road win of the season when they take on North  Carolina A&T. Game time is slated for 4 p.m. ET at Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro, N.C. The contest will be streamed live on ncataggies.com. The Bears battled to an 89-86 overtime win at Howard on Tuesday night. N.C. A&T (8-9, 3-0) is coming off a 67-58 road win against Maryland Eastern Shore and have started 3-0 in conference action. 

THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 90th matchup between the schools ... The Aggies lead the series 53-36.
•  Jan. 16, 2017 -- Junior guard Tiwian Kendley scored a game high 21 points to help lead the Morgan State Bears to an 82-53 victory over the North Carolina A&T Aggies at Hill Field House. Kendley's three-pointer gave the Bears a 71-47 advantage with 6:13 remaining in the game. It would be stretched to a 30-point margin near game's end.
Carr (19.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg) was sidelined due to a foot injury. 
•  Davaris McGowens scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds and North Carolina A&T held on to beat Morgan State 69-67 on Jan. 13, 2018. Amari Hamilton added 13 points for the Aggies. Denzel Keyes had 12 points and five rebounds and Femi Olujobi chipped in 10 points.

BEAR BITS
• MSU's bench outscored Howard (Jan. 15) by a 40-10 margin.
• Junior forward David Syfax scored a season-high 16 points to help lead the Bears to an overtime win at Howard (Jan. 15)
• Morgan State converted a school record 27-of-27 free throws during its contest versus Lincoln-Pa. (Jan.3).
• Junior guard Stanley Davis recorded career-highs of 28 points and 19 rebounds vs. South Carolina State (Jan. 12).
• The Bears scored 26 points off of 18 turnovers against Binghamton.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
• North Carolina A&T head coach Jay Joyner (Middle Tennessee State, '00) enters his 4th season as the Aggies head coach ... he was named head coach hours before the Aggies faced Coppin State in a MEAC Basketball Championship Tournament game on March 7, 2016.
• N.C. A&T finished the 2017-18 season with a 13-19 overall mark and finished with a 7-9 MEAC record ... The Aggies ended their season with a 96-86 loss to Hampton in the MEAC Tournament semifinals.
• The Aggies have three players averaging double figures, led by junior 6-1 guard Quavius "Qua" Copeland who is averaging 12.8 points, followed by fifth year 6-6 senior Terry Harris (11.8 ppg) and senior 6-3 guard  Milik Gantz (10.8 ppg). 
• Northern Colorado transfer (6-8, 220) Ibrahim Sylla leads the Aggies on the glass by averaging 5.2 rebounds per game and has blocked 15 shots.  
• N.C. A&T leads the MEAC averaging 74.6 points per game (No. 3 in MEAC), while holding its opponents to 76.2 points (No. 6).
• N.C. A&T leads the league in field goal percentage by shooting 48.4 percent from the field. The Aggies also rank No. 5 in field goal percentage defense (.450 FG).
• N.C. A&T leads the MEAC in 3-point shooting (.399).

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
Ibrahim Sylla scored a career-high 25 points and tied his career best with 10 rebounds and North Carolina A&T remained unbeaten in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play beating Maryland-Eastern Shore 67-58 on Monday. Sylla's finished 9-of-10 shooting from the floor and 7 of 8 from the foul line.

LAST TIME OUT FOR BEARS
Junior guard Stanley Davis hit the go-ahead free throw with 48 seconds left in overtime, and the Morgan State Bears outlasted the Howard Bison for an 89-86 victory Tuesday night at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C.

AT THE HELM
Todd Bozeman enters his 13th year at the helm as Morgan State men's head coach. The Bears have participated in six of the last 12 MEAC Tournament championships, captured back-to-back-MEAC Titles, and made appearances in the NIT and two NCAA Tournaments. 

WHO'S OUT
Morgan State's standouts Phillip Carr and guard Tiwian Kendley completed their careers as two of the school's all-time top players. Kendley, a 6-5 guard from Harlem, N.Y., has made his mark as one of the top players in school history. In his senior campaign, Kendley averaged 26.1 points per game and grabbed 4.0 rebounds per game while also averaging 2.1 steals per game. He is currently a member of the NBA G League's Washington Go-Gos. Carr is one of only seven players to wear the MSU uniform and score over 1,000 points with over 700 rebounds, totals that he accumulated in just three seasons as a Bear. Carr is currently playing for the New York Knicks team's G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.

WHO'S BACK
Back from last season's squad that finished with a 13-19 record are starters Martez Cameron and Antonio Gillespie, while Stanley Davis Jr. and David Syfax return to the Bears along with a number of contributors off the bench with: Tyler Streeter, LaPri McCray-Pace and Kyson Rawls.

WHO'S IN 
The Bears have added seven newcomers to the 2018-19 roster: G Ranell Bell; G Malik Miller;  G Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr.; G Isaiah Burke; F Jordan Little;  F Victor Curry; and F Taron Oliver Jr.

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 49.6 percent of its scoring, 28.4 percent of its rebounding and 55.1 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Tyler Streeter - .543 ), three-point percentage (Antonio Gillespie, .369), free throw percentage (Antonio Gillespie, .800), rebounding (David Syfax - 4.4 rpg), assists (Martez Cameron, 4.3), steals (Martez Cameron, 1.5),  blocked shots (David Syfax, 0.7). and minutes played (Martez Cameron, 32.6).  Six (6) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago also return - Cameron (26), Davis (16), Gillespie (14 ), McCray-Pace (10), Rawls (6) and  Syfax (5).

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 four players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Freshman point guard Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. is from Bladensburg, Md. and graduated from Wise HS. Freshman guard Isaiah Burke is from Annapolis and was a prep standout at Bowie HS, while junior forward Taron Oliver, Jr. played for Montrose Christian and is from District Heights, Md. Freshman guard Malik Miller hails from Washington, D.C. and played at Friendship Tech Prep.

BOZEMAN'S RETURNING STAFF
Morgan State head basketball coach Todd Bozeman coaching staff returns for their fourth 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 2018-19 season with three road matchups, first at Villanova Nov. 6, then at Saint Francis on Nov. 9, followed by DePaul on Nov. 12. The Bears' home-opener will be Nov. 15 versus Lincoln (Pa.), followed by a Nov. 20 date when they host the Naval Academy. The Bears will face Mount St. Mary's at Hill Field House on Nov. 25, and travel to George Mason on Nov. 28.  The Bears will face Virginia on Dec. 3 and will host Binghamton on Dec. 5. MSU will take on Towson on Dec. 8, followed by a matchup with Wilmington (Del.) on Dec. 17. MSU will wrap the month of December at Old Dominion (Dec. 22) and will travel to the west coast for a game at CA-Northridge Dec. 29.

PREDICTED TO FINISH SIXTH IN THE MEAC
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been tabbed to finish sixth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Men's Basketball Poll the league announced today.  
• The Bears return two starters from last year's team, bringing back senior guards Martez Cameron and Antonio Gillespie. MSU also returns a few talented upperclassmen in senior guard Tyler Streeter and junior guard Stanley Davis and junior forward David Syfax.
• MSU was selected to finish sixth in 2018-19, earning 138 points in the poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors who could not vote for their own team or team members. Bethune-Cookman edged out North Carolina Central for first place honors.
• Seven (7) Bears are back from a team that tied for seventh in the MEAC. Morgan State finished the year 7-9 in the conference and 13-19 overall. MSU's season ended with a 79-70 loss to North Carolina Central in the MEAC Tournament semifinals.
• The 2018 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips off March 5-10 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.  For more information about the MEAC and its sponsored sports, log on to www.MEACSports.com.

MORGAN'S DRIVING FORCE 
• Stanley Davis continues to be the main engine for MSU as he controls the Bears offense and defense. 
• So far this season, Davis is averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
• Davis has three-or-more assists in six of 17 games played. 
• He recently recorded career-highs of 28 points (10-21 FG) and 19 rebounds in 34 minutes of action vs. South Carlolina State (Jan. 12) ... he also chipped in three assists.
• Davis posted his second double-double of the season (21 points, 10 rebounds) and had three steals in an overtime win at Howard (Jan 15). 
• Davis is currently shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe.
• He is averaging 20 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the course of his last four games.

DISHING OUT DIMES
MSU senior point guard Martez Cameron led the Bears in assists during the 2017-18 by averaging just over four per game (4.4) in 31 games.
•  Cameron dished out a season-high 6 assists to go along with 13 points and 5 rebounds versus Binghamton (Dec. 5) ... he also had six assists vs. Lincoln-Pa. (Jan. 3) and Savannah State (Jan. 7).
•  Thru 17 games, he's averaging 7.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3.4 apg (ranks No. 7 in MEAC).
•  The Chicago product passed Donte Pretlow (2012-16; 335) to become No. 3 on the school's all-time assists leaderboard currently with 388 assists in 108 career games ... and counting ... currently 55 assists away from becoming the school's all-time leader.
•  The only Bears ahead of Cameron on the all-time assists list are: No. 2 Billy Newton (421) and No. 1 Jason McCoy (442).

ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering 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. 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Morgan State University a National Treasure in 2016, in the latest significant effort towards preserving the rich cultural legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The National Trust and Morgan State University have partnered to develop a preservation plan that stewards the many historic buildings on campus, while planning wisely for the university's future. To learn more about the Morgan State University National Treasure, visit www.savingplaces.org.