Men's Basketball 3/11/2022 8:00:00 AM MSU Athletic Communications

MBB Game Notes: No. 1 Seeded Norfolk State

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Game 27
Opponent: #1 Norfolk State Spartans
Date: Friday, March 11, 2022
Site: Norfolk Scope Arena, Norfolk, Va.
Game Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Live Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com)
MSU Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (79-61, 3rd yr) • NSU – Robert Jones (164-125, 9th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.nsuspartans.com

SETTING THE STAGE
No. 4-seeded Morgan State (13-13) battles No. 1-seeded Norfolk State (22-6) Friday night in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament with a spot in Saturday's championship game on the line. The winner will punch a ticket to the NCAA Big Dance.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

THE SERIES
• Friday's contest will mark the 62nd meeting between the schools ... The Spartans lead the series 42-19.
• The last time the two teams met on the hardwood was on February 21, 2022 -- Lagio Grantsaan finished with 17 points and eight rebounds to spark Morgan State to an 85-74 victory over Norfolk State. Grantsaan made 6 of 9 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 from the free throw line, for the Bears (9-13, 4-6). De'Torrion Ware pitched in with 15 (6-8 FG), while Sherwyn Devonish added 11 points and nine assists and Malik Miller added 11 points with six boards. Joe Bryant Jr., the league's scoring leader (18 ppg), paced the Spartans with a game-high 20 points. Jalen Hawkins added 18 points while Kris Bankston added 12 points.
• Norfolk's last win against Morgan State was on January 24, 2022 -- The guard trio of Christian Ings, Jalen Hawkins and Joe Bryant Jr.scored 18 points apiece and Norfolk State outscored Morgan State by 18 after halftime to cruise to its fifth straight win, 82-62, at Echols Hall. The Spartans (14-4, 5-0 MEAC) shot 52 percent after halftime and held the Bears (6-10, 1-3) to 28 percent in the stanza. Lagio Grantsaan paced MSU with 14 points.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
• Head coach Robert Jones enters his 9th season as the Spartans head coach and his 15th year overall with the Spartans ... He led the program to its second-ever MEAC title in 2021 and an NCAA Tournament First Four win over Appalachian State ... The 2019 MEAC Coach of the Year, Jones signed a five-year contract extension following the NCAA Tournament appearance, keeping him at the helm of the program through 2027-28. He has led NSU to a .742 win percentage in MEAC play – fifth in the nation among coaches with at least 100 games coached – and made six postseason appearances in seven years of postseason play.
• Coming off its second-ever MEAC Tournament championship and NCAA Division I postseason berth, the Norfolk State was tabbed the MEAC preseason favorite in the preseason poll of league head coaches and sports information directors and finished the 2021-22 season as the MEAC regular season champions.
• NSU's Joe Bryant was named the MEAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year as well as earning a spot on the All-MEAC First Team. Robert Jones was selected by his peers as the MEAC Coach of the Year. Kris Banston was named to both the All-MEAC Second Team as well as the All-MEAC All-Defensive Team. Jalen Hawkins was chosen for the All-MEAC Third team.
• NSU is led by 6-1 guard Joe Bryant Jr. (Norfolk, Va.) and 6-9 redshirt senior Kris Bankston and 6-2 guard Jalen Hawkins. Bryant, who was a third-team All-MEAC selection following last season and earned MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors while helping lead the Spartans to the MEAC title, is ranked among the league leaders in scoring (16.5 points) and free throw shooting (.921) and is adding 5.1 rebounds. Bankston, a Little Rock, Ark. product (J.A. Fair HS), is averaging 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and is shooting 71% from the field and Hawkins (Bronx, N.Y.) is shooting 35 percent from 3-point territory and is averaging 13 points and 3.8 boards.
• Christian Ings, a junior transfer guard from Rider guard (Philadelphia, Pa.) is averaging 9.8 points, 2.7 assists and is shooting 42.9 percent from the field.
• Norfolk State led the MEAC in scoring defense (64), field goal percentage defense (.375), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.293) and defensive rebounds (28.8).

A WIN WOULD...
• Be MSU's sixth consecutive win.
• Be MSU's second consecutive win vs. Norfolk State since 2/21/22.
• Improve MSU's neutral site record to 3-2 this season.
• Be MSU's seventh win in its last eight games played.

MEAC TOURNAMENT
Tickets for the 2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament (March 9-12 at Norfolk Scope Arena, Norfolk, Va.) are now on sale through member institution box offices and online via Ticketmaster. To purchase tickets or for more information on the 2022 MEAC Basketball Tournament, go to www.MEACHoops.com. Tickets on Ticketmaster can be accessed here.

THREE PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES
The Bears will enter the MEAC Tournament Semifinals with three players averaging double-digits.
• Senior guard Malik Miller is the team's leading scorer averaging 12.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and is shooting 55.4 percent from the field … he scored 16 points with seven boards and three steals in the MEAC Quarterfinals vs. #5 South Carolina State (3/10).
• Junior De'Torrion Ware is the team's second leading scorer averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and is shooting 34.6 percent from the field ... he recorded a season-high 27-point outing vs. St. Mary's College of Maryland (Nov. 9).
• Senior forward Lagio Grantsaan is averaging 10.8 points, to go along with 5.9 rebounds and is shooting 49 percent from the field ... he has averaged 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in his last four games.

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
• The Bears are currently averaging 75.8 points (No. 2 in MEAC) thru 26 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 44.1 percent from the field (ranked No. 4) and 31.8 percent from beyond the arc (No. 6).

TURNOVER MARGIN
Through games played on Sunday, March 6, Morgan ranked No. 15 in the nation in turnover margin (4.0 ratio, with 392 turnovers and 492 opponent turnovers).

BEAR D
Morgan is allowing opponents to 72.5 points per game (rank No. 6 in MEAC) and 43.6 percent shooting from the field (No. 8).
• MSU's opponents have shot at a 34.9 percent clip on average from beyond the arc ... this ranked No. 6 in the conference.
• The 19.6 turnovers per game Morgan's defense forces ranks No. 2 in the country ... MSU's 8.5 steals per game ranks No. 29 in the nation.

STREAKING
Morgan has made at least one 3-pointer played in its last 177 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 130 of 141 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.
HOME COOKING
Morgan completed the 2021-22 season with an 8-3 mark inside Hill Field House.
• The last time the Bears lost at home was against North Carolina Central (74-64) ... their previous loss was on Jan. 23, 2022 against Howard (91-82) on Jan. 23, 2022.

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.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Sherwyn Devonish: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#11 Malik Miller: G; 6' 4"; Freshman

#0 Lagio Grantsaan: F; 6' 8"; Senior

#20 De'Torrion Ware: G; 6' 4"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#5 Sherwyn Devonish
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#11 Malik Miller
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: G

#0 Lagio Grantsaan
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

#20 De'Torrion Ware
: 6' 4"; Junior
: G