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Game 15
Opponent: Howard Bison
Date: Saturday, January 22, 2022
Site: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Game Time: 4 p.m. EST
MSU Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (72-56, 3rd yr) • HU - Kenneth Blackeney (10-34, 2nd yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.hubison.com
SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (6-8,1-1) will look to break back in the win column when they host the Howard Bison on Saturday at Hill Field House. The Bears will enter the game coming off a heartbreaking 79-76 loss at the buzzer to Coppin State on Jan. 15. Howard (6-8, 0-1) came up just short of taking down Notre Dame in front of a nationally televised audience on FOX, 71-68, at Burr Gymnasium (Jan. 8). The Bison will enter Saturday's contest attempting to snap a 3-game losing streak. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
"ORANGE OUT"
In support of Morgan State men's and women's basketball programs, the Bears are asking fans to show their support by wearing the color orange at this Saturday's doubleheader vs. Howard. As part of the "Orange Out," the Bears are also encouraging fans to use the hashtags #OrangeOut and #WeAreTheBears across social media platforms.
THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 111th meeting between the schools ... The Bears lead the series 65-45.
• The last time the two teams met on the hardwood was on February 1, 2020 -- Malik Miller had a career-high 19 points (8-13 FG) and eight rebounds, Troy Baxter scored 18 points and Morgan State broke open a close game with a run early in the second half to beat Howard 89-83 at The Burr Gymnasium. Stanley Davis added 14 points and four rebounds, while Sherwyn Devonish-Prince had 13 points and six assists for the Bears.
• Howard's last win against the Bears was on February 25, 2019 -- The Morgan State men's basketball held a first half lead against Howard, but were unable to withstand the Bison's strong second half as they fell 75-69 at Hill Field House. RJ Cole scored a game-high 19 points to help rally the Bison to victory. Cole, the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, also finished the game with six steals, five rebounds, and four assists. Morgan had three players in double-digits led by David Syfax. The junior forward scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to tie his season-high. Freshman guard Isaiah Burke finished with 13 points, and sophomore guard Kyson Rawls added 12 (3-5 3FG).
SCOUTING THE BISON (6-8, 0-1)
• Head coach Kenneth Blakeney enters his second season leading the Howard men's basketball program in 2019-20. He has coached at seven Division I universities over a 12-year span. Blakeney was a McDonalds All- American and Gatorade Player of the Year at the famed DeMatha Catholic HS, and played at Duke under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
• Howard University Athletics made the difficult decision to cancel 2020-21 season out of an abundance of caution due to the health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bison finished the 2019-20 season 4-19 overall and 1-15 in MEAC play ... The Bison fell to #2 seed N.C. A&T (86-77) in the 2019 MEAC semifinals.
• The Bison, who were picked to finish fifth in the MEAC Preseason Poll, currently have a 6-8 overall and 0-1 MEAC record following a hard fought 71-68 loss versus Notre Dame on Monday (Jan. 17).
• Howard is led by graduate student 6-5 guard Kyle Foster (Hampton, Va.) and 6-10 redshirt sophomore Steve Settle III. Foster is averaging 15.0 points (ranks No. 3 in MEAC), 4.3 rebounds and is shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 50 percent (52-103) from three. Settle, an Glenarden, Md. product (DeMatha Catholic HS), is averaging 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and is shooting 51% from the field and is shooting 45.7 percent from 3-point territory.
• Elijah Hawkins, a freshman 5-11 forward from Washington, D.C. (DeMatha Catholic HS), is averaging 12.4 points, 3.6 boards (ranks No. 4) and ranks No. 7 in the nation averaging 6.5 assists per game and No. 2 in the MEAC in assist/turnover ratio (2.3).
• Columbia transfer 6-3 guard Tai Bibbs is also contributing for the Bison. The Chicago (Ill.) native is averaging 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and is shooting 44.3 percent from the field.
• Howard leads the MEAC in scoring (78.4), field goal percentage (.466), 3-point field goal percentage (.388) and free throw percentage (73.6).
• Howard's last regular season win against a MEAC team was on March 2, 2019 when they defeated Maryanad Eastern Shore 62-20 in D.C.
A WIN WOULD...
• Be MSU's first win since defeating South Carolina State (88-81 ot) on 1/10/22.
• Be MSU's first win vs. Howard since 2/1/20.
• Improve MSU's home record to 5-1 this season.
• Be MSU's second MEAC win in its last three games played.
• Bring the Bears' overall win percentage back to .467.
LOOKING AHEAD
Morgan State and Norfolk State will clash for the first time this season on Monday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 pm in Norfolk. The game will be nationally televised by ESPNU.
• Morgan will return home for a Saturday matchup with Delaware State on Jan. 29 at 4 pm.
THREE PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES
The Bears will enter Saturday's game against Howard with three players averaging double-digits.
• Junior De'Torrion Ware holds the lead for the team averaging 10.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and is shooting 33.8 percent from the field ... he recorded a season-high 27-point outing vs. St. Mary's College of Maryland (Nov. 9).
• Junior guard Keith McGee is averaging 10.8 points, to go along with 2.3 steals and 1.6 rebounds.
• Senior guard Malik Miller is the team's third leading scorer averaging 10.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and is shooting 54.5 percent from the field.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
• The Bears are currently averaging 77.4 points (No. 2 in MEAC) thru 13 games.
• Morgan exploded for 118 points in its 2021-22 season opener versus St. Mary's College of Maryland and followed it up with a 126-71 win against Penn State Allegheny. The Bears beat Goucher 100-41.
• The Bears are shooting 44.9 percent from the field (ranked No. 3) and 31.7 percent from beyond the arc (No. 5).
TURNOVER MARGIN
Through games played on Tuesday, Jan. 18, Morgan ranked No. 7 in the nation in turnover margin (5.6 ratio, with 215 turnovers and 293 opponent turnovers).
• Sherwyn Devonish has registered 46 assists and 20 turnovers and currently ranks No. 53 in the nation in assist-turnover ratio.
BEAR D
Morgan has started off the 2021-22 campaign by allowing opponents to 73.4 points per game (rank No. 6 in MEAC) and 43.4 percent shooting from the field (No. 7).
• MSU's opponents have shot at a 37.1 percent clip on average from beyond the arc ... this ranks No. 7 in the conference.
• The 20.9 turnovers per game Morgan's defense forces ranks No. 2 in the country ... MSU's 142 total steals ranks T-No. 35 in the nation.
STREAKING
Morgan has made at least one 3-pointer played in its last 165 games ... That 3-point streak began after the Bears went 0-for-11 against North Carolina Central on Feb. 20, 2016 (Hill Field House).
• Morgan has made at least three 3-pointers in 119 of 129 games since the start of the 2017-18 season.
• The Bears made a school single-game record 15 three-pointers (on 32 attempts) at South Carolina State on Jan. 10, 2022…Morgan won that road game, 88-81 in overtime.
HOW TO WATCH GAMES: All men's and women's basketball home games will be video streamed for free through the MorganStateBears.com website. The latest broadcast and video stream information will always be listed on men's and women's basketball schedule pages at MorganStateBears.com.
MEN'S & WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RADIO: All home games and select away games for MSU men's and women's basketball will once again be available through Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com). Lamont Germany will handle play-by-play responsibilities and will also host pre-game and post-game shows. Including exclusive interviews with members of the teams and women's coach Ed Davis and men's coach Kevin Broadus. Fans can download the HSRN app for free and listen to the MSU broadcasts from anywhere. Simply search for HSRN when using the iHeartRadio app.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS 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
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 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.
