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Game 17
Opponent: South Carolina State Bulldogs (6-7, 1-0 MEAC)
Date: Monday, January 6, 2020
Site:  Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
MSU Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (7-9, 1st yr) • SCSU - Marvin Garvin (76-140 7th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.scsubulldogs.com

SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (7-9, 1-0) will continue Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play when they host the South Carolina State Bulldogs in Baltimore on Monday, January 6. Tip-off at Hill Field House is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WEAA-88.9FM and the Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com).

THE SERIES
• Monday's contest mark the 80th matchup between the schools ... The Bulldogs lead the series 44-35 ... Morgan State has won five of the last eight meetings.
• South Carolina State's last win against the Bears was on February 9, 2019 in Orangeburg.  Stanley Davis scored 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field to lead four teammates in double-figure scoring for the Bears, who came up short.  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. Kyson Rawls scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half to help give the Bears a 39-35 halftime advantage. Antonio Gillespie finished the night by recording a season-high 17 points and was 5-for-8 from the 3.
• No. 7 Morgan State advanced to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament quarterfinals after holding off No. 10 South Carolina State, 83-80, inside the Norfolk Scope Arena on March 6, 2018. Phillip Carr, an All-MEAC First Team selection, led the way for the Bears with a team-high 21 points and eight boards. Tiwan Kendley and Tyler Streeter netted 16 and 14, respectively, in the victory.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Head coach Murray Garvin enters his seventh season leading the South Carolina State men's basketball program in 2019-20. During the 2015-16 season he led the Bulldogs to a 19-15 overall record and advanced to the MEAC Title game and earned MEAC Coach of the Year.
• SCSU finished the 2018-19 season 8-26 overall and 5-10 in MEAC play (8th) ... The Bulldogs ended their season with an 78-73 loss to Norfolk State in the MEAC Tournament quarterfinals.
• The Bulldogs have a 6-7 overall record and are coming off a 79-75 conference win at Coppin State on Saturday (Jan. 4) and have won two consecutive games.
• The Bulldogs are led by Preseason All-MEAC senior 6-8 forward Damani Applewhite who is averaging 13.2 points (No. 7 in MEAC) and 6.7 rebounds (No. 7) per game and is shooting 50.9 percent from the field (No. 5).
• Tashombe Riley, a 6-7 forward from Orangeburg, is the team's second leading scorer (9.7 ppg), ranks No . 2 in the MEAC in field goal percentage (.526 FG%) and is averaging 3.9 rebounds per contest. 
• Junior floor general Rayshawn Neal leads the Bulldogs by dishing 2.8 assists (No. 8 in MEAC) and is chipping in 8.1 points and 3.3 rebounds.
• SCSU is in the top half of the MEAC in several categories, which include ranking first in free throw percentage (.788) and rebounding defense (34.3), third in 3-point FG pct. (.317), third in FG pct. (.430) and fourth in scoring offense (68.9).

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BULLDOGS
• Despite being down 37-30 at the intermission, 18 second-half points by Damani Applewhite and 11 by Ian Kinard was able to lift the Bulldogs past the Coppin State 79-75.
• Applewhite and Kinard finished with 24 and 19 respectively. He also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Although the Eagles led the entire first half, the second-half saw 14 lead changes and 10 ties. A layup by Zach Sellers, 12 points, put the Bulldogs ahead 75-73 with 26 seconds remaining.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
• Morgan State had five players score in double-figures to lead the Bears to an 81-68 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener win against Delaware State on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall.
• Senior forward David Syfax, and sophomore guards Isaiah Burke and Sherwyn Devonish-Prince scored 15 points each. Junior forward Lagio Grantsaan added 13 points and sophomore Malik Miller posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
• Burke hit a baseline jumper just before the shot clock, followed by a steal and dunk by Syfax to take a 66-57 lead. Grantsaan added to the run by connecting on his third 3-pointer of the day and finished a breakaway with a two-handed dunk to give the Bears a 71-58 lead. Morgan cruised to the finish.

CLOSE CALLS
• The Bears have started the 2019-20 season with a 1-3 record in games decided by 10 points or fewer, with a 71-65 loss to Saint Francis, followed by a 68-64 win at George Washington, and two close losses in The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase vs Milwaukee (62-57) and Evansville (115-112 3OT).
• After falling 81-71 on March 12 versus #7 seed Coppin State in the MEAC Tournament, Morgan State played 21 games during the 2019-20 season that was decided by 10 points or fewer. Of those games 17 were decided by seven points or fewer, including six by three points or fewer.

BEAR NOTES: 
Morgan State is shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 28.8 percent from beyond the arc; the Bears shot a season-high 52 percent (25-48) from the field vs. Longwood (Dec. 7) ... Stanley Davis currently leads the Bears averaging 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists, including a 21-point effort in a triple overtime game versus Evansville (Nov. 24) … Troy Baxter posted his first double-double of the season during the win at George Washington (Nov. 16) … Baxter is averaging 5.9 rebounds and has 27 blocked shots (ranks No. 1 in MEAC), including a 5 blocks in his season debut vs. Central Penn (Nov. 6) … Sherwyn Devonish-Prince has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 games and is averaging 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 32.1 minutes per game ... David Syfax is shooting 45.7 percent from the field and is averaging 6.9 points with 3.4 boards.  

AT THE CHARITY LINE
Morgan State is currently shooting 71.2 percent (250-351) from the stripe, led by  Kyson Rawls who is shooting 83.3 percent (20-24). Stanley Davis is shooting 82.7 percent (62-75; ranks No. 3 in MEAC) and Lagio Grantsaan 83.3 percent (10-12).
• The Bears completed the 2018-19 season ranked No. 4 in the conference in free throw percentage by shooting 71.3 percent (477-669) from the line. 
• Sherwyn Devonish-Prince led the MEAC by shooting 86.6 percent (97-112 FT), followed by Kyson Rawls who shot 82.1 percent from the line
(64-78; No. 5) and Stanley Davis is shooting 79.8 percent from the line (79-99; No. 9).

BEARS FINDING THEIR MARK 
Morgan State has made 48.0 percent of its shots in four of the last six games (168-for-342; .491).  In its first eight games, MSU made 40.4 percent of its shots (201-for-498).  
• MSU is also heating up from three-point range making 34 percent (29-for-88) of its shot in the last five games, after shooting 27.2 percent (43-for-158) from beyond the arc in the first eight games.
• The Bears connected on a season-high 9 of 17 (.529) 3-pointers against Evansville (Nov. 24).

DAVIS CHASIN' 1,000
Senior guard Stanley Davis needs 148 points to reach 1,000 points for his Morgan State career. Following his 7-point effort against Delaware State (Jan. 4), he currently has 852 points.

A ROAD LESS TRAVELED 
Morgan State is 3-4 on the road this season, after going 2-13 on the road during the 2018-19 season. The last time MSU finished over .500 on the road (12-7) was during the 2010 season.

AT THE HELM
Kevin Broadus enters his first year at the helm as Morgan State's 16th head coach of the men's basketball program effective May 1, 2019. Broadus brings more than 20 years of coaching and elite-level recruiting experience to Morgan State. Broadus comes to Morgan from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he has been one of the nation's best recruiters as the top assistant on Mark Turgeon's coaching staff. This past season Broadus was influential in the successful NCAA tournament run for the Terps.  Consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally for recruiting, Broadus was instrumental in signing a number of local Baltimore talents such as DeJuan Summers, Brandon Herbert, LaFonta Johnson, and Henry Sims.

WHO'S OUT
Tyler Streeter (Chicago, Ill./St. Francis de Sales HS), Antonio Gillespie (Memphis, Tenn./Memphis Central HS) and Martez Cameron (Chicago, Ill./Montverde Academy) wrapped up their collegiate careers and graduated last spring.

WHO'S BACK
The Bears return three starters from last year's team, bringing back guards Stanley Davis and Sherwyn Devonish-Prince, Jr and forward David Syfax. MSU also returns guards Isaiah Burke, Kyson Rawls, and Malik Miller, along with forwards LaPri McCray-Pace, Victor Curry and Malik Miller.

WHO'S IN 
The Bears have added several newcomers to the 2019-20 roster: F Troy Baxter; F Victor Okafor; G Thai're Vance; F Lagio Grantsaan; F Peter Sorber; G Cameron Shaw; F Jamar Brown.

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 75.6 percent of its scoring, 67.8 percent of its rebounding and 69.0 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Stanley Davis - .454 ), three-point percentage (Isaiah Burke, .370), free throw percentage (Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr., .866), rebounding (David Syfax - 4.6 rpg), assists (Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr., 2.2), steals (Stanley Davis, 1.1),  blocked shots (David Syfax, 0.6). and minutes played (Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr., 28.0).  Five (5) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago also return - Devonish (30), Davis (25), Syfax (17 ), Curry (9), and McCray-Pace (8).

HOME GROWN 
Morgan State has seven players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Sophomore point guard Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. is from Bladensburg, Md. and graduated from Wise HS. Sophomore guard Isaiah Burke is from Annapolis and was a prep standout at Bowie HS, while senior forward Taron Oliver, Jr. played for Montrose Christian and is from District Heights, Md. Sophomore guard Malik Miller hails from Washington, D.C. and played at Friendship Tech Prep. Junior forward Victor Okafor is from Greenbelt, Md. and played at Eleanor Roosevelt HS. Freshman guard Thai're Vance is a product of Silver Spring, Md. and played at DeMatha Catholic HS. Cameron Shaw is a freshman guard from Baltimore who played at Loyola Blakefield HS.

BROADUS' STAFF
Morgan State head basketball coach Kevin Broadus' coaching staff enters their first season. The Bears coaching staff consists of assistant coaches Brian Merritt, Chretien Lukusa and Kevin Jones.
• Merritt  joins the Bears after serving the last two seasons as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations at LSU. Merritt, a native of St. Mary's County, Maryland, joined LSU prior to the 2017-18 season after serving as Director of Scouting/Recruiting for John Lucas Enterprises.
• Lukusa was previously spent five years on Binghamton's staff, including a pair of seasons on the coaching side. A 2011 Binghamton graduate who also earned his master's degree at the University, Lukusa returned to the program in 2014. After serving two seasons as the coordinator of player development, Lukusa earned a promotion to assistant coach in Summer 2016. 
• Jones was previously the assistant director of basketball operations and video coordinator at Radford University (2018-19) where he oversaw all things video and technology. Prior to Radford, Jones was an assistant coach at Norfolk State (2015-18) where he helped guide the Spartans to back-to-back second-place finishes in the MEAC and coached three All-MEAC guards.

THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The Bears will play three nonconference games against teams that made the NCAA tournament last season, including Temple (Nov. 9 in the road opener), Liberty (Nov. 22 in the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase) and Ohio State (Nov. 29). There's a Nov. 16 trip to George Washington to get the Bears a nonconference game in Washington, and the annual showdown with crosstown foe Towson is Dec. 4 at Hill Field House.

PREDICTED TO FINISH EIGHTH IN THE MEAC
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been tabbed to finish eigth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Men's Basketball Poll the league announced.
• The Bears return three starters from last year's team, bringing back guards Stanley Davis and Sherwyn Devonish-Prince, Jr and forward David Syfax. MSU also returns guards Isaiah Burke, Kyson Rawls, and Malik Miller, along with forwards LaPri McCray-Pace, Victor Curry and Malik Miller.  
•MSU was selected to finish eighth in 2019-20, earning 101 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. North Carolina Central (203 points), who captured its third straight MEAC Tournament championship last season, edged out Bethune-Cookman (198 points) for first place honors, followed by defending regular-season champion Norfolk State.
• Eight (8) Bears are back from a team that placed 10th in the MEAC. Morgan State finished the year 6-7 in the conference and 9-21 overall. MSU's season ended with an 81-71 loss to Coppin State in the MEAC Tournament first round.
• The 2020 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips off March 10-14 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.  For more information about the MEAC and its sponsored sports, log on to www.MEACSports.com.

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC SELECTIONS
The Morgan State men's basketball team had a pair of Bears selected to the 2019-20 Preseason All-MEAC Team. Senior guard Stanley Davis was selected to the Second Team, while sophomore guard Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. was named to the Third Team.
• The most proven player on the roster is senior Stanley Davis, who led Morgan State in both scoring (12.5 per game) and rebounding (7.1). The latter number ranked seventh in the MEAC last season.
• Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. earned a place on the MEAC All-Rookie team by averaging 10.7 points as a true freshman.

BEARS TO HONOR ELIJAH CUMMINGS THROUGHOUT 2019-20 SEASON
Throughout the 2019-20 season, the Morgan State Bears student-athletes will celebrate the life of longtime Baltimore Congressman Elijah Cummings, who passed away on October 17, 2019, at the age of 68. In honor of Congressman Cummings and all of his many positive contributions to the University and his district, all Morgan State athletic teams will wear a special commemorative "EC" patch on their jerseys throughout the season. The Bears football team helmets will also be adorned with an EC decal.
• "Our department wanted to do something to recognize the many important contributions of the Honorable Elijah Cummings to the country, the City of Baltimore and Morgan State University," said Director of Athletics Edward Scott, Ph.D. "In speaking with our student-athletes, coaches and staff, we felt that the patches and decals would be the most appropriate way of demonstrating our appreciation to Regent Cummings and his family."
• The patch is a black circle with the initials "EC" in the center in orange letters and outlined in white. 
• Congressman Cummings has a long history with Morgan State University and over the years has been one of its most staunch supporters. In addition to hosting many of his youth workshops and annual career fairs at Morgan, he also served on the University's Board of Regents for 19 years after having been appointed in July 1999 (he missed one year due to other commitments at the time).

FOLLOW US IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:

            Facebook: /MorganStateBears
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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.