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Game 21
Opponent: Howard Bison
Date: Saturday, February 19, 2022
Site: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Game Time: 2 p.m. EST
TV: TNT, ESPN2 and NBA TV
Radio: Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com)
MSU Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (74-60, 3rd yr) • HU - Kenneth Blackeney (17-36, 2nd yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.hubison.com
Tickets: NBAEvents.com
SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (8-12, 3-5) will enter Saturday's contest against the Howard Bison for the first-ever NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T. The Bears will enter the game coming off a 76-66 win at home against South Carolina State on Feb. 14. Howard (13-10, 6-3) recorded a 77-71 win at Maryland Eastern Shore and is riding a 5-game winning streak. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. at Wolstein Center. and will be simulcast on TNT, ESPN2 and NBA TV.
THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 112th meeting between the schools ... The Bears lead the series 65-46.
• The last time the two teams met on the hardwood was on January 22, 2022 -- The Morgan State men's basketball team cut a 10-point second half deficit to just one point in the final minute, but could not complete the comeback as Howard exited with a 91-82 win inside Hill Field House. Junior guard De'Torrion Ware led the Bears with 23 points (10-10 FT) and 11 rebounds in the loss. Keith McGee scored 12 of his 18 points (6-13 3FG) in the second half, while Lagio Grantsaan finished with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Ty Horner chipped in 10 points. Randall Brumant led the Bison with a season-high 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting.
• Morgan's last win against the Bears 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.
SCOUTING THE BISON (13-10, 6-3)
• 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 16.2 points (ranks No. 2 in MEAC), 3.9 rebounds and is shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 50 percent (88-176) from three. Settle, an Glenarden, Md. product (DeMatha Catholic HS), is averaging 14.5 points (No. 5 in MEAC), 4.5 rebounds and is shooting 51.5% from the field and is shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point territory.
• Elijah Hawkins, a freshman 5-11 forward from Washington, D.C. (DeMatha Catholic HS), is averaging 12.2 points, 3.8 boards and ranks No. 10 in the nation averaging 6.2 assists per game and No. 3 in the MEAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
• Columbia transfer 6-3 guard Tai Bibbs is also contributing for the Bison. The Chicago (Ill.) native is averaging 9.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and is shooting 41.2 percent from the field.
• Howard leads the MEAC in scoring (78.2), 3-point field goal percentage (.374) and free throw percentage (74.0).
A WIN WOULD...
• Be MSU's second consecutive win
• Be MSU's first win vs. Howard since 2/1/20
• Improve MSU's neutral court record to 2-1 this season
• Be MSU's third win in its last five games
• Improve MSU's series record against Howard to 66-46
LOOKING AHEAD
Morgan State will host Norfolk State on Monday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. inside Hill Field House.
THREE PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES
The Bears will enter Saturday's game against Howard with three players averaging double-digits.
• Senior guard Malik Miller is the team's leading scorer averaging 12.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and is shooting 54.2 percent from the field.
• Junior De'Torrion Ware is the team's second leading scorer averaging 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and is shooting 31.5 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 10.4 points, to go along with 1.1 steals and 1.6 rebounds.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
• The Bears are currently averaging 76.0 points (No. 2 in MEAC) thru 20 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 43.1 percent from the field (ranked No. 4) and 31.0 percent from beyond the arc (No. 6).
TURNOVER MARGIN
Through games played on Wednesday, Feb. 15, Morgan ranked No. 16 in the nation in turnover margin (4.2 ratio, with 316 turnovers and 400 opponent turnovers).
Sherwyn Devonish (6.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg) ranks No. 1 in the MEAC in assists turnover ratio (1.9) and No. 5 in the MEAC in assists per game (3.2).
BEAR D
Morgan has started off the 2021-22 campaign by allowing opponents to 74.5 points per game (rank No. 7 in MEAC) and 44.4 percent shooting from the field (No. 8).
• MSU's opponents have shot at a 36.8 percent clip on average from beyond the arc ... this ranks No. 8 in the conference.
• The 20.0 turnovers per game Morgan's defense forces ranks No. 2 in the country ... MSU's 8.7 steals per game ranks No. 27 in the nation.
STREAKING
Morgan has made at least one 3-pointer played in its last 17` 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 125 of 135 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.
