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Game 24
Opponent: Savannah State (8-15, 5-4 MEAC)
Date: Monday, February 11, 2019
Site: Tiger Arena, Savannah, Ga.
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Series Record: SSU leads 6-4
Live Stats: here | Watch: n/a
Radio: 630 WMBQ
Coaches: MSU -Todd Bozeman (155-212, 13th yr) • SSU - Horace Broadnax (179-243, 13th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.ssuathletics.com
SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State men's basketball team (8-15, 3-7) wraps its two-game road swing when they take on Savannah State (8-15, 5-4) on Monday (Feb. 11) at Tiger Arena. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Bears fell short to South Carolina State, 85-81, in Orangeburg on Saturday. Savannah State posted a 71-62 victory against Coppin State on Saturday, extending to a 3-game winning streak.
THE SERIES
• Monday night's contest will mark the 11th matchup between the schools ... The Tigers lead the series 6-4.
• Morgan State's last win against the Tigers was on Jan. 8, 2018 -- Tiwian Kendley and Phillip Carr combined to score 67 of Morgan State's 87 points as the Bears beat Florida A&M, 87-68 on Jan. 6 at Hill Field House. The victory is Morgan State's 35th in the 59-game history of the series.
• Savannah State's last win against the Bears was on Jan. 7, 2019 -- Romani Hansen and Jaquan Dotson each scored 20 points and Savannah State rallied to beat Morgan State 88-87 in overtime at Hill Field House. Kyson Rawls scored all 20 points of his career-high points in the first half with five 3-pointers for Morgan State (6-9, 1-1). Stanley Davis added 15 points, Devonish-Prince 14 and David Syfax 12. Senior point guard Martez Cameron (6 assists) fouled out with 7:21 left in regulation and SSU trailing 69-68
BEAR BITS
• MSU had four players score in double-figures during the Bears matchup at South Carolina State (Feb. 9).
• Sophomore guard Kyson Rawls poured in a career-high 21 points off the bench against Bethune-Cookman (Jan. 26).
• Junior 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).
• The Bears rank No. 1 in the league in turnover margin (+3.39) and No. 2 in steals (7.6 avg).
• MSU ranks No. 14 in the nation in forced turnovers (17.27).
• MSU's bench outscored Savannah State by a 43-11 margin on Jan. 7, 2019.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
• Savannah State head coach Horace Broadnax (Georgetown, '86) enters his 13th season as the Tigers full time head coach ... During his college career by helping lead Georgetown University to the 1984 NCAA Men's National Championship Title.
• Savannah State finished the 2017-18 season with a 15-17 overall mark and finished with a 12-4 mark in the MEAC ... The Tigers ended their season with a 58-56 loss to N.C. Central in the MEAC Tournament quarterfinals.
• The Tigers have a pair of players averaging double figures, led by Zack Sellers, a 6-1 junior guard, who is averaging 12.7 points and is shooting 36 percent from the field. Junior 6-4 guard Jaquan Dotson who is averaging 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 72 percent from the free throw line. Senior 6-1 guard Zaquavian Smith is chipping in 9.8 ppg, while junior forward Tyrell Harper is averaging 9.3 ppg and and senior Jahlin Smith are both averaging 8.9 ppg.
• Senior 6-6 forward John Grant Jr. is a Baltimore product who transferred to the Rattlers from Howard County...3 AAA State Championship...Baltimore City Championship… Maryland City/County All- Star.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE TIGERS
Tyrell Harper had a season-high 23 points plus 11 rebounds as Savannah State beat Coppin State 71-62 on Saturday night. Romani Hansen had 12 points for Savannah State (8-15, 5-4 Mid-Eastern Conference). Jaquan Dotson added eight rebounds. Collins Joseph had eight rebounds for the home team.
LAST TIME OUT FOR BEARS
Stanley Davis scored 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field to lead four teammates in double-figure scoring for the Bears (8-15, 3-7), who came up short tonight. Damani Applewhite scored a game-high 21 points, including the go-ahead dunk with 2:07 left, and South Carolina State rallied to beat Morgan State 85-81 on Saturday at the Smith-Harold-Middleton Memorial Center.
AT THE HELM
Todd Bozeman enters his 13thyear 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, Kendleyaveraged 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.
MINUTES AND POINTS
Speaking of minutes and points, the Bears distribute them more broadly and evenly than just about any team in the conference.
• Morgan State's squad is playing with 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.
• Senior Martez Cameron (31.4 mpg), freshman guard Sherwyn Devonish-Prince (28.9 ppg) and junior Stanley Davis (25.9 mpg) are currently leading the Bears in minutes played.
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 7 assists versus South Carolina State (Feb. 9) ... he also had six assists vs. Lincoln-Pa. (Jan. 3) and Savannah State (Jan. 7).
• Thru 23 games, he's averaging 7.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3.8 apg (ranks No. 8 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 418 assists in 114 career games ... and counting ... currently 25 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.
