Bear Shots

BALTIMORE, Md. (March 7, 2019) -- Morgan State freshman guard Isaiah Burke scored a season-high 21 points, but it was Coppin State that came away with an 83-69 victory over their cross-town rivals Thursday night in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season finale.
 
Coppin State (7-24, 7-9) came to Hill Field House to crash the Bears 'Senior Night' as they grabbed an early 12 point lead at the 10:21 mark after a three-pointer by guard Dejuan Clark and did not lose the lead for the rest of the game. 
 
Head coach Todd Bozeman shared his thoughts on the slow start for the Bears. 
 
"I thought we dug ourselves a hole in the first half and we got to do a better job of defending," Bozeman said. "We have to guard and we have to execute better. We definitely did not execute the way we had planned and we got to do a better job rebounding and taking advantage of turnovers."
 
Morgan State (9-20, 4-12) finished the game with fewer turnovers (9) than the Eagles, but both teams were equal in points off turnovers (11-12), though Coppin State ended the game with 18 turnovers. 
 
Coppin State was led by Chad Andrews-Fulton who finished with game-highs with 24 points and 18 rebounds. The Eagles finished the game being outrebounding the Bears by a 50-32 margin. 
 
Morgan State found themselves fighting to get back in the game from the first half. Though Morgan kept it close for the first seven minutes, Coppin State would start to pull away and ultimately end the half up 39-26. 
 
The Bears struggled from the field in the first half causing them not be able to continuously chip away at the lead. In the first half, Morgan State shot 9-of-34 (26.5%), while the Eagles shot 13-of-30 (43.3%).
 
In the second half, Morgan State was able to trim the lead to single digits at the 11:57 mark after a three-pointer by guard Martez Cameron. However, they were not able to cut the lead any shorter than seven points. 
 
The Eagles fended off the Bears enough to build a 16 point lead at the 4:20 mark after two free throws by Cedric Council. They would go on to build their largest lead of the game, 20, with 1:49 left after an Ibn Williams layup. 
 
The night marked 'Senior Night' at Hill Field House and seniors Cameron, Tyler Streeter and Antonio Gillespie were all recognized for their dedication and hard work throughout their career. Each player received flowers along with a jersey and plaque.
 
"With the seniors, you always appreciate the guys who come in for four years and give you their blood, sweat and tears. And to be on track to graduate. That's what it is about," Bozeman said of his seniors. 
 
Cameron also broke the Morgan State University all-time record in assists with 443 as he dished out a game-high five assists Thursday night to surpass Jason McCoy. 
 
"It feels good," Cameron said of his accomplishment. "It shows that all the time I've been here I was getting recognized for something. It feels good to finally put myself in the books for something that's all time,"
 
Morgan State will face Coppin State in a rematch Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. as they face each other in the first round of the MEAC Tournament at The Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.