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Game 22
Opponent: North No. 2-seeded Norfolk State Spartans (15-7, 8-4)
Date: March 13, 2021
Site: Scope Arena, Norfolk, Va.
Game Time: 1 p.m. EST
Live Stats: here | Live Stream: ESPN2 (John Schriffen and Cory Alexander)
MSU Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (29-23, 2nd yr) • NSU  - Robert Jones (140-118, 8th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.nsusports.com

SETTING THE STAGE
• North No. 3-seeded Morgan State battles North No. 2-seeded Norfolk State (15-7) Saturday afternoon in the MEAC Tournament finals with a spot in the 'Big Dance' on the line.
• Norfolk State beat No. 3-seeded N.C. Central 87-58 In the quarterfinal game on Thursday night. With the win, the Spartans headed straight into Saturday's championship game against the winner of Friday's 6 p.m. Coppin State-Morgan State semifinal, as a result of its would-be opponent, North Carolina A&T State, bowing out of tournament play following a positive COVID-19 case within its program.
• The Bears (15-7) rallied to beat North #1-seeded Coppin State in the MEAC semifinals on Friday night behind a 29-point, 15-rebound effort by junior guard De'Torrion Ware .
•  The Bears and Spartans are meeting for the 59th time in the series overall, for the second time in the MEAC Tournament and the first time in the tournament since meeting in the finals on March 14, 2009 in Winston-Salem, N.C. - Reggie Holmes scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Bears to an 83-69 win at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Bears (23-11) earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. 
• Kevin Broadus enters his second year at the helm of the Morgan State Bears. The Bears won 15 games in his debut season, their most since 2013-14, finished sixth in the MEAC.
• Senior forward Troy Baxter completed the MEAC regular season by averaging 17.1 ppg (No. 1 in MEAC), 4.8 rpg and is shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 36.7 from the three ... He was named to the 2021 All-MEAC First Team and was selected to the All-Defensive Team. 
•  Last season, Troy Baxter had 58 blocked shots (ranked No. 2 in MEAC) in 31 games as a junior ... He currently leads the team with 34 blocks.
• Malik Miller is a jack-of-all-trades for the Bears and finished the MEAC regular season averaging 12.5 ppg (No. 10) and 7.9 rpg (No. 2) ... He was named to the 2021 All-MEAC Second Team and was selected to the All-Defensive Team. 
• Trevor Moore poured in a career-high 27 points and connected on 7-of-12 3-pointers vs. Coppin State (Jan. 17) ... He also had five boards, three assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
• De'Torrion Ware is coming off the bench averaging 17.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg and is shooting 40 percent from 3 ... He was named to the 2021 All-MEAC Second Team ... The junior has been lighting it up in the MEAC Tournament where he has scored 64 points (32 avg) with 21 rebounds (10.5 rpg) and has connected on 14-of-18 (.778 pct) from beyond the arc.
• The Bears have a couple of talented transfers: Cincinnati transfer Trevor Moore; Sharone Wright Jr. (Wake Forest); and De'Torrion Ware (Jacksonville State).
• This year, the MEAC split into Northern and Southern Divisions for basketball, and teams played conference games exclusively within their division.

THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 59th matchup between the schools ... The Spartans lead the series 40-18.
• Norfolk State has posted a 3-1 record against the Bears this season ... the two teams split in their meetings in Norfolk at Echols Memorial Hall ... the Spartans won both meetings at Hill Field House.
• Jan. 9, 2021 -- Troy Baxter helped Morgan State's basketball team make a statement Saturday on the road for their MEAC opener. Baxter scored a game-high 24 points and got the Bears going early as he had 11 of the team's first 13 points. The 6-foot-9 sharpshooter scored off the dribble, behind the arc and had a couple of sensational dunks to give the Bears an excellent start. It was MSU's first win over the Spartans since Jan. 4, 2017 when they held on to beat Norfolk State 58-56 at Hill Field House.
• Norfolk State's last win against the Bears was on February 14, 2021 -- Devante Carter scored 19 points to push the visiting Norfolk State Spartans to a 68-65 win against Morgan State. Carter, who scored 20 points in NSU's 74-69 win in the series opener (Feb. 13), once again did most of the damage for the Spartans. The senior guard shot 5-of-13 from the field with six rebounds and five steals. He also went 9-for-9 from the free throw line including key free throws down the stretch to help pull out the win. Senior forward Troy Baxter led the Bears by scoring 16 of his game-high 21 points (6-12 FG) in the first half. Sherwyn Devonish added 12 points and five rebounds, while Moel Camara chipped in 11 points off the bench.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS (15-7, 8-4 MEAC)
• Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones (SUNY New Paltz, '02) enters his 8th season as the Spartans head coach and his 14^th year overall with the Spartans ... The 2019 MEAC Coach of the Year has led NSU to a .750 winning percentage in conference play and has made five postseason appearances in the six seasons that postseason was played.
• Coach Jones is one of 25 finalists for the Ben Jobe, Skip Prosser Man of the Year, and Hugh Durham Awards, handed out by CollegeInsider every year.
• Devante Carter and Joe Bryant Jr. were named to the All-MEAC team for the 2020-21 season. Carter was voted to the all-conference second team, and Bryant was named to the third team. The duo led the Spartans to a share of the MEAC Northern Division title this year at 8-4, part of a 14-7 overall regular season campaign.
• NSU received 16 of 22 first-place votes to lead the way in the 2020-21 MEAC Northern Division. Joe Bryant Jr. and Devante Carter earned Preseason All-MEAC honors when the conference announced its preseason teams and predicted order of finish.
• The Spartans have two players averaging in double figures, led by senior 6-3 guard Devante Carter who is one of the top players in the league  averaging 15.6 points (No. 4 in MEAC) and is shooting 43 percent from the field. Joe Bryant Jr., a 6-1 junior guard from Norfolk, Va., is averaging 11.3 points and is shooting 39.5 percent from the field. Jalen Hawkins, a 6-2 redshirt junior guard is chipping in 9.5 ppg and 6-9 redshirt junior  J.J. Matthews (Arkansas State transfer) is adding 8.7 ppg.
• Devante Carter also leads the Spartans on the glass by averaging 5.2 rebounds per game.
• NSU ranks No. 1 in field goal percentage defense (.404), No. 1 in 3-point field goal percentage (.371), No. 2 in the league in scoring defense (69.6 ppg),  No. 2 in scoring offense (75.4), No. 2 in field goal percentage (.436), and No. 2 in rebounding offense (37.1) and rebounding defense (35.9).

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPARTANS
• March 12, 2021 --  The Spartans began the game in dominant fashion and they ended it that way on Thursday evening in the MEAC Tournament quarterfinal round at Scope Arena. Norfolk State men's basketball jumped out to a 17-0 lead and never looked back in an 87-58 win over North Carolina Central.
• Joe Bryant Jr., who scored a career-high 30 points while making 7-of-10 from 3-point range. They finished with 14 3-pointers on the night and held the Eagles to just 32 percent shooting. NSU improved to 15-7 overall.
• The team also outscored NCCU 23-4 in second-chance points and 17-6 in points off turnovers.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
• March 12, 2021 --  Morgan State turned in the upset of the 2021 Air Force Reserve MEAC Basketball Tournament Friday evening at the Scope Arena, taking out Northern Division top seed and rival Coppin State 82-61.
• De'Torrion Ware had a monster game for the second straight night, going for 29 points and 15 rebounds. He hit nine field goals and five 3-pointers, on top of going 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Malik Miller joined him in double figures with 13 points. 
• The Bears opened the second half on a 13-2 run, taking a 40-38 lead with 15:30 to play after a Miller 3-pointer. Nendah Tarke, the MEAC Rookie of the Year, gave Coppin State a 44-42 lead at the 14:07 mark with a dunk, but that wound up being the Eagles' final lead of the contest. 

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 65.7 percent of its scoring, 59.6 percent of its rebounding and 68.5 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Jamar Brown - .448), three-point percentage (Isaiah Burke, .390), free throw percentage (Lagio Grantsaan, .815), rebounding (Malik Miller - 5.4 rpg), assists (Sherwyn Devonish, 2.2), steals (Malik Miller, 1.0),  blocked shots (Troy Baxter, 1.9). and minutes played (Sherwyn Devonish, 31.7).  Six (5) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago also return - Devonish (31), Baxter (26), Burke (23 ), Brown (17), Miller (11) and Okafor (8).
 

🐻🏀Junior guard De'Torrion Ware has been getting buckets at @NorfolkScope🔥🔥🔥 He has helped lead the Bears to their first @MEACSports Tournament Championship appearance since 2014!#MORGvsNORF | #ESPN2 | @UAbasketball #GoBears🔷🔶 pic.twitter.com/0ASePtHrsj

— Morgan State Bears (@MorganStBears) March 13, 2021

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
• Morgan State led the MEAC in scoring by averaging 80.6 points (No. 18 in the nation) thru 21 games of the 2020-21 season.
• The Bears have scored 391 points (78.2 ppg) over the course of their last 5-games.
• They scored a season-high 102 in a home win vs. Lincoln-Pa. (Dec. 1, 2020).
• Thru 31 games of the 2019-20 season, the Bears averaged 70.4 ppg (ranked No. 6 in MEAC) and shot 42.4 percent from the field (ranks No. 5) and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc (No. 10).
• They scored a season-high 112 in a triple overtime thriller vs. Evansville (Nov. 24, 2019).

LET IT FLY
• The Bears are currently shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc and finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the MEAC.
• De'Torrion Ware leads Morgan State with 2.5 3-point field goals per game and is shooting at a 40.5 percent clip. Troy Baxter  is averaging 2.0 3-pointers per game, followed by Trevor Moore's 1.5.
• Lagio Grantsaan is chipping in 1.2 three-point field goals per game, and is shooting a 39.3 percent.
• The Bears connected on a season-high 14 3-pointers vs. Lincoln-Pa. (Dec. 1).
• Morgan State shot a league-best 57.9 percent (11-19) in a road win at Iona (Dec. 8).

GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START 
• The Bears are 8-2 this season when leading at halftime.
• On the flip side, MSU has compiled a 4-4 record in games it is trailing at halftime.
• The Bears' only wins when trailing at halftime came at James Madison (Jan. 3), Coppin State (Jan. 30) and in the MEAC Tournament versus #2 Florida A&M in the MEAC quarterfinals (Mar. 11) and versus #1 Coppin State in the semifinals (Mar. 12).
• MSU is 2-1 in games when tied at halftime.

FOUR PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES 
The Bears entered the 2021 MEAC Tournament with four players averaging double-digits.
• Senior forward Troy Baxter holds the lead for the team high in points, averaging 17.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 30 blocked shots.
• Junior De'Torrion Ware is averaging 15.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and is shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc ... he recorded a 36-point outing vs. Delaware State (Jan. 24).
• Junior Malik Miller, who exploded for 30 points versus Coppin State (Jan. 17), is the team's third leading scorer averaging 12.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and is shooting 51.4 percent from the field.
• Senior Lagio Grantsaan, who recently scored 21 points with nine boards at Delaware State (March 6), is averaging 10.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and is shooting 42.9 percent from the three.

PREDICTED TO FINISH SECOND IN THE MEAC
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been tabbed to finish second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Men's Basketball Northern Division Poll.
• Morgan State was picked to finish second, followed by the Howard Bison, who made a splash in the offseason with the addition of preseason First Team honoree Makur Maker. Coppin State was picked to finish third, while Delaware State and Maryland Eastern Shore rounded out the division.
• The Bears return four starters from last year's team, bringing back guards  Sherwyn Devonish-Prince, Jr. and Isaiah Burke, along with forwards Baxter and Jamar Brown. Also back is guard Malik Miller and forward Lagio Grantsaan.
• 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.

2021 MEAC TOURNAMENT
The 2021 Air Force Reserve MEAC Basketball Tournament will take place Wednesday through Saturday, March 10-13, at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. For more info click here.
Here is the link to all the live stats for the fans and the public throughout the tournament: http://meac.statbroadcast.com


FOLLOW US IN CYBERSPACE 
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• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 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.