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Game 27
Opponent: Norfolk State Spartans (11-13, 7-2 MEAC)
Date: Monday, February 15, 2020
Site: Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall, Norfolk, Va.
Game Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
Radio: n/a
Live Stream: NSUSpartans.com/watch
Live Stats: here
MSU Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (13-13, 1st yr) • NSU  - Robert Jones (120-109, 7th year) 
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.nsuspartans.com

SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (13-13, 7-4) will travel to the Tidewater area when they face the Norfolk State Spartans inside Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall on Saturday, February 15. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. The contest will be streamed live on nsuspartans.com. The Bears fell to N.C. Central 58-57 on Monday night in Hill Field House.  Norfolk State snapped a 2-game skid when they beat Delaware State 85-57 in Norfolk.  

THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 53rd matchup between the schools ... The Spartans lead the series 35-17.
• Norfolk State has won the last three contests at Echols Memorial Hall.
•   Senior forward Kyle Thomas hit the game-winning shot with 30 seconds left and junior forward Phillip Carr had a career-high 29 points with 12 rebounds as Morgan State held on to beat Norfolk State 58-56 at Hill Field House on Jan. 4, 2017.
• Norfolk State's last win against the Bears was on Feb. 23, 2019 -- MSU was outlasted by Norfolk State, 75-74. Norfolk State's Alex Long missed a pair of free throws with 6.9 seconds left to give the Bears one last shot. However, junior Stanley Davis missed a driving short jumper at the buzzer as the Spartans held on for the victory. Mastadi Pitt scored a game-high 21 points to lead Norfolk State. MSU had five players in double-figures. Stanley Davis and Kyson Rawls led the way with 13 points, followed by David Syfax with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sherwyn Devonish-Prince and Isaiah Burke with 11 apiece.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
• Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones (SUNY New Paltz, '02) enters his 7th season as the Spartans head coach ... He was named the 2019 MEAC Coach of the Year and has posted a .750 winning percentage in conference play and made five straight postseason appearances during his first six years in charge.
• NSU finished the 2018-19 season with a 22-14 overall mark and finished first in MEAC regular season play by posting an 14-2 record... The Spartans were defeated by North Carolina Central, 50-47, in the 2019 MEAC Tournament Championship game. The Spartans defeated Alabama 80-79 in overtime of the NIT Tournament and lost to Colorado in the 2nd Round.
• The Spartans have three players averaging in double figures, led by redshirt senior 6-1 guard Jermaine Bishop who is averaging 14.0 points (No. 6 in MEAC) and is shooting 39 percent from the field. Joe Bryant, a 6-1 sophomore guard from Norfolk, Va., is averaging 12.6 points and is shooting 42 percent from the field. Steven Whitley, a 6-3 redshirt senior guard is chipping in 10.4 ppg and leads the team averaging 3.3 apg (No. 6).
• Devante Carter, a  6-3 guard, leads the Spartans on the glass by averaging 5.4 rebounds per game (ranks No. 14 in the MEAC) and is adding 9.2 ppg
• NSU ranks No. 1 in the league in scoring margin (+5.5) and field goal percentage defense (.402 pct.) and No. 2 in scoring defense (64.9) and rebounding margin (+2.5).

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPARTANS
• Norfolk State defeated Delaware State 85-57 in a conference game on Saturday evening at Joseph Echols Hall.
• The Spartans outscored the Hornets by 22 in the second half after a slow start to the contest. A big advantage in the turnover department, along with 13 3-pointers, also played a large part in NSU improving to 7-2 overall in the MEAC.
• NSU had four players in double figures, including junior Devante Carter with a career-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Joe Bryant Jr. added 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting with four rebounds and four assists, his third 20-point game of the season.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
•  Jibri Blount's basket with 2 seconds left lifted the North Carolina Central to a 58-57 win over Morgan State in a dramatic Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown Monday night at Hill Field House.
• With 14 seconds remaining, and the final possession of the game the Eagles converted on their attempt to seal the victory after a scramble for the ball left Jibri Blount open for a layup that left the crowd stunned. The Bears had 2.2 seconds left to score without advancing the ball, and a half-court heave that nearly went in. 
• Troy Baxter led the Bears with 12 points and three blocks and Malik Miller added 10 points and eight rebounds.

CLOSE CALLS
• The Bears have started the 2019-20 season with a 6-6 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). The Bears posted a 74-71 win at Loyola Marymount, fell to Bethune-Cookman 85-78 and N.C. A&T 76-70, and rallied to beat Coppin State 50-48, Maryland Eastern Shore 56-50 and 61-53, and Howard 89-83...and recently fell to N.C. Central 58-57.
• 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 currently fourth in the league standings at 7-4 behind NCCU, NSU and North Carolina A&T (8-3) ... the Bears are shooting 42.5 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 13.4 points (No. 9 in MEAC), 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, including a 21-point effort in a triple overtime game versus Evansville (Nov. 24) … Troy Baxter  is averaging 5.3 rebounds and has 53 blocked shots (ranks No. 1 in MEAC), including a 5 blocks in his season debut vs. N.C. A&T (Jan. 20) … Sherwyn Devonish-Prince has scored in double figures in 17 of 26 games and is averaging 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 32.0 minutes per game ... David Syfax is shooting 44.9 percent from the field and is averaging 7.5 points with 4.2 boards ... The last time the Bears had at least 13 wins by the month of February was during the 2009-10 season in which MSU finished with a 27-10 record, won the MEAC Title and played West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament.

AT THE CHARITY LINE
Morgan State is currently shooting 70.6 percent (399-565; ranks No. 2 in MEAC) from the stripe, led by  Stanley Davis is shooting 81.6 percent (93-114; ranks No. 5 in MEAC), Troy Baxter who is shooting 70.5 percent (62-88; ranks No. 11) and Lagio Grantsaan 78.6 percent (11-14).
• 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).

DAVIS CHASIN' 1,000
Senior guard Stanley Davis needs 34 points to reach 1,000 points for his Morgan State career. 
• Following his 8-point effort against N.C. Central (Feb. 10), he currently has 966 points in 107 games played.

A ROAD LESS TRAVELED 
Morgan State is 5-6 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.

NON-CONFERENCE RECAP 
Morgan State went 6-9 in non-conference play, the most non-conference wins since a 2017-18 season in which the Bears held a 6-10 non-conference mark. Prior to that, MSU had not won at least six non-conference games since the 2012-13 season (7-9). 
• MSU played seven teams that are .500 or better and five of its opponents have won eight or more games. 
• MSU went 4-2 at home, 2-4 in road games and 0-3 in neutral site games.

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.

40-AND-OVER CLUB
Five of Morgan State's primary shooting threats are at 40 percent or better from the field, led by Malik Miller (57-for-106) is at 53.8 percent; Stanley Davis who is 116-for-249 (46.6% - ranks 11^th in MEAC) from the floor; David Syfax (70-for-156) is at 45.9 percent; Lagio Grantsaan (50-for-124) is at 40.3 percent; and Jamar Brown (29-67) is at .433.

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).

MORGAN STATE 'GRIT'
The Morgan State athletic department has adopted the slogan GRIT for the 2019-20 athletic campaign. GRIT, which stands for Growth, Resiliency, Integrity and Teamwork, was introduced by Morgan State Director of Athletics Dr. Edward Scott at the start of the Fall semester. GRIT will define all 15 of Morgan State's athletic teams on and off the field of play this season.

2020 MEAC TOURNAMENT
The 2020 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 9-14 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. Ticket books can be purchased at all 12 MEAC university ticket offices, the Norfolk Scope Arena, Ticketmaster outlets, the MEAC Administrative Office and online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available by calling the MEAC at 757-951-2055 or Ticketmaster at (800)-745-3000. The annual MEAC Basketball Tournament moved to Norfolk in 2013 after spending the previous four years in Winston-Salem, N.C. from 2009 through 2012.

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
            Twitter: @MorganStBears
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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.