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Game 23
Opponent: Delaware State 
Date: Saturday, February 4, 2023
Site: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
Game Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Series Record: MSU leads the series 64-44
Live Stats: --
Television: TNT
MSU Coaches: Kevin Broadus (53-50, 4th yr) • DSU - Stan Waterman (6-41, 2nd yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.dsuhornets.com

SETTING THE STAGE
The Morgan State men's basketball team (11-11, 4-3) looks to end a 2-game skid when they take on the Delaware State Hornets (4-16, 3-4) on Saturday afternoon in the Michael B. Jordan-led HBCU Legacy Classic at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live on TNT.  It will mark the second meeting between the long-time rivals in eight days. Delaware State defeated the Bears in Dover, 64-62, on a basket by Martaz Robinson with 2.4 seconds left to play last Saturday.  
•  Senior guard Isaiah Burke scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Bears, but UMES forward Nathaniel Pollard Jr. scored 22 points as Morgan was unable to hold off a second half surge as the Hawks pulled away with a 72-58 victory over Morgan State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at Hill Field House.
• Morgan shot .368 (21-of-57) from the field, compared to UMES's .458 (27-of-59). The Bears shot .222 (4-18) from beyond the arc, while the Hawks were 9-for-21 (.429) from long range.

SCOUTING DELAWARE STATE
• Stan Waterman, a legendary First State high school coach and administrator, USA Basketball coach and former college player, was announced as Delaware State University head men's basketball coach on June 4, 2021... In 30 seasons, Waterman led the Sanford School (Del.) boy's basketball program to 571 wins, 10 state championship games and eight titles, including the last two in 2021 and 2019.
• Delaware State was picked to finish in a tie with South Carolina State for seventh in the eight-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season race, according to a poll of league head coaches and sports information representatives.
• DSU guard Corey Perkins (Wilmington, Del.) was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Third Team. Perkins was a MEAC All-Rookie selection as a freshman during the 2021-22 season.  He was tops on the team and fifth in the MEAC in assists at 3.3 per game (74 total). Perkins also ranked eighth in the MEAC with a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and was eighth in the league in steals at 1.5 per game.
• Senior 6-11 forward Brandon Stone (Scottsdae, Pa.), 6-2 guard Martaz Robinson (Baltimore, Md./New Town HS) and 6-1 sophomore guard Khyrie Staten (Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy) currently lead the Hornets in scoring. Stone is averaging 11.9 points (No. 9 in MEAC), 5.3 rebounds (No. 10) and is shooting 51.9% (No. 2) from the field and 71.4% from the free throw line. Robinson is averaging 9.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and is shooting 42.9 percent from the field. Staten is averaging 9.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and is shooting 39.3% from the field and 30.4 percent from 3-point territory.
• Jevin Muniz, a 6-6 forward (Bethlehem, Pa.) is adding 8.6 points for the Hornets with 3.5 boards and is shooting 36.3 percent from the field. He was recently selected as the MEAC Rookie-of-the-Week after  tallying 27 points (13.5 pg) in Delaware State's 88-85 overtime win vs. South Carolina State (Jan. 23) and vs. North Carolina Central on Jan. 21.
• DSU ranks No. 3 in offensive rebounds (10.9),  No. 5 in rebounding margin (-1.0), and ranks No. 7 in steals (12.4).

THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 109th meeting between the schools ... The Bears lead the series 64-44.
• Morgan State's last win against Delaware State was on February 27, 2022 --  The Bears flew out of the gates, building a 21-point advantage against Delaware State, and were able to hold on 76-69 at Memorial Hall in Dover. The Bears swept the season series with Delaware State, winning 82-70 inside Hill Field House on January 30. Malik Miller notched his fifth double-double of the season as he finished the night with a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. Lagio Grantsaan had 16 points and four rebounds, while Sherwyn Devonish added 13 points.
• Delaware State's last win against Morgan was on January 28, 2023 --  Isaiah Burke scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Bears, but Delaware State guard Martaz Robinson (17 pts) hit the game-winning basket on a 12-foot jumper with 2.4 seconds left to give the Hornets a 64-62 victory over Morgan State in a MEAC thriller in Memorial Hall. Kamron Hobbs led the reserves with 12 points off the bench and connected on 4-of-6 from the three and dished out four assists. Daiquan Copeland chipped in 11 points (4-10 FG) and led the Bears with eight rebounds.

TWO PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES 
The Bears will enter Saturday's game against Delaware State with only one player averaging double-digits.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke is averaging a team-high 20.1 points with 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and is shooting a league-best 45.2 percent from 3-point territory.
• Prior to going down with an injury at Howard (Jan. 21), senior guard Malik Miller was averaging 17.5 points to go along with 9.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals.

INVESCO QQQ LEGACY CLASSIC
The Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic, a college basketball showcase featuring Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) created by actor and producer Michael B. Jordan, WME Sports (the sports division of WME, an Endeavor company), Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and Scout Sports and Entertainment, a division of Horizon Media, announced the second installment of the showcase will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
• This year's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) men's college basketball showcase will feature Morgan State University versus Delaware State University and Norfolk State University versus Hampton University competing in a doubleheader airing on TNT.

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Offensively, Morgan leads the MEAC by currently averaging 77.5 points thru its first 22 games.
• Morgan exploded for 130 points in its home opener versus Penn State Allegheny.
• The Bears are No. 3 in the MEAC shooting 46.3 percent from the field and  rank No. 1 shooting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke (20.1 ppg) is leading the team and ranks No. 21 in scoring. 
• The Bears averaged 75.0 points (No. 2 in MEAC) thru 28 games during the 2021-22 season.

BEAR DEFENSE
Defensively, Morgan State limits its opponents to scoring 71.6 points per game on 43.0 percent shooting from the floor and 30.7 percent from 3-point range, allowing 6.0 long distance strikes per night. 
• Morgan's defense ranks No. 3 in the country in   turnovers forced (417 turnovers;  18.95 avg.); the Bears also ranked No. 4 in steals per game with 221 steals.
• The Bears rank No. 20 in the nation with 112 blocks (5.1 blk/g). 
• Morgan State has been outrebounded by the opponent by a -1.5 margin as the opponent has grabbed 816 total boards (37.1  rebs/g) compared to the 784 total rebounds (35.6 rebs/g) secured.
• Last season, Morgan held opponents to 72.4 points per game (rank No. 6 in MEAC) and 43.7 percent shooting from the field (No. 8).

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE 
Through games played on Monday, Jan. 30 the Bears rank No. 1 among all MEAC teams in 3-point shooting percentage (38.4%, 162-for-422). 
• Isaiah Burke leads the conference shooting 45.6% from 3-point range (78-for-171). 
• Burke, Malik Miller and Kamron Hobbs are the only Morgan players who have made at least 15 shots from 3-point distance this season... Burke leads the way with 78, Hobbs has 28, Miller has 18 3s.
• Last season, MSU ranked No. 6 in the MEAC in that category, having shot 31.3% from 3-point range in 28 contests.

HOME COOKING 
• Morgan has started the 2022-23 season 8-1 at home.
• The Bears had an 11-game home winning streak snapped by UMES on Jan. 30.
• 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.

NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
•  The Bears registered a 6-8 record in their non-conference slate of games this season.
• Morgan State went 5-8 in non-conference play a season ago.
• Last season, MSU went 4-0 at home, 0-7 in road games and 1-1 in neutral site games.

AT THE HELM
• Kevin Broadus is entering his fourth season at the helm of the program after being named as the men's head basketball coach in 2019.
• The Broadus-led Bears team compiled several significant victories over non-conference competition in this most recent season, elevating the caliber of wins for a program that aims to compete at a championship level within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Broadus demonstrated exemplary leadership while successfully overcoming a number of challenges at the onset of his tenure at Morgan, including having to navigate rebuilding a program under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In Broadus' debut season, Morgan State went 15-16, its largest victory total since 2013-14. Then in the midst of a pandemic, the Bears produced a 14-8 mark --- their best winning percentage since going 27-10 and making the NCAA tournament in 2009-10. This past season, Morgan finished with a record of 13-15 overall, and placed fourth in the MEAC standings with a 7-6 record while advancing to the MEAC Tournament semifinals game. 
• Prior to Morgan, Broadus worked at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he has been one of the nation's best recruiters as the top assistant on Mark Turgeon's coaching staff. Broadus was influential in the successful NCAA tournament run for the Terps. 
• Consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally for recruiting, Broadus was instrumental in signing a number of local Baltimore talents such as DeJuan Summers, Brandon Herbert, LaFonta Johnson, and Henry Sims.

WHO'S OUT
• Trevor Moore (Houston, Texas), Sherwyn Devonish (Bladensburg, Md.), Lagio Grantsaan (Utrecht, The Netherlands), Seventh Woods (Columbia, S.C.), Chad Venning (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Keith McGee (Rochester, N.Y.), Elijah Bowens (Bowie, Md.), Myles Douglas (Edgewood, Md.) and De'Torrion Ware (Hopkinsville Ky.) wrapped up their Morgan careers last spring.

WHO'S BACK
The Bears return four starters from last year's team, bringing back guards Malik Miller, and Isaiah Burke. MSU also returns guards Will Thomas along with forwards Ty Horner and Collin Nnamene.

WHO'S IN 
The Bears have added several newcomers to the 2021-22 roster: G Daiquan Copeland, G Kevon Wiggins,G Chase Williams, G Kamron Hobbs, G Robert Lawson, F Djonkam Lewis, F David McCullough, and F Khalil Turner. 

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 29.2 percent of its scoring, 28.7 percent of its rebounding and 29.0 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Malik Miller - .552), three-point percentage (Isaiah Burke, .410), free throw percentage (Miller, .605), rebounding (Miller - 8.8 rpg), assists (Burke, 2.0), steals (Malik, 2.0),  blocked shots (Miller, 0.7). and minutes played (Burke, 22.8). Two (2) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago also return - Miller (16) and Horner (9).

HOME GROWN 
Morgan State has seven players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Senior guard Isaiah Burke is from Annapolis and was a prep standout at Bowie HS, while senior guard Malik Miller hails from Washington, D.C. and played at Friendship Tech Prep. Junior guard Will Thomas is from Baltimore and played at Mervo HS. Bowie State transfer David McCullough is a product of Bowie, Md. and played at Riverdale Baptist HS. Freshman guard Chase Williams is from Waldorf, Md. and was a prep standout at Grace Brethren HS.

BROADUS' STAFF
Morgan State head basketball coach Kevin Broadus' coaching staff consists of assistant coaches Chretien Lukusa, Keith Goodie and Larry Stewart.
• Lukusa enters his first year as associate head coach with Morgan State Basketball, after serving the previous three years as an assistant coach with the program.Prior to Morgan State, Lukusa spent five years on staff at Binghamton University, three years as an assistant. In his time at Morgan State, Lukusa has contributed many facets of the program, including recruiting, player development, and scheduling.
. 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. 
• Goodie enters his  enters his first season as a member of Broadus' coaching staff for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Goodie comes to Morgan State after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Delaware State University from 2020-21 under head coach Eric Skeeters. Prior to the Hornets, he was a member of Todd Bozeman's staff at Morgan State from 2007-to-2015. 
• Stewart's most recent stop was as an assistant coach at fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) member Maryland Eastern Shore (2019-21). A standout player at Coppin State from 1988-1991, Stewart led the Eagles to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1990 and first ever National Invitational Tournament in 1991. Stewart signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards) in 1991.

THE SCHEDULE
Morgan State will have a coast-to-coast presence --- and even make an international venture --- during nonconference play.
• The Bears open Nov. 7 against Xavier, a Big East school coming off an NIT title. Three nights later, Morgan State begins its 12-game home slate against Penn State Allegheny.
• The Bears will also visit Virginia Commonwealth before playing two games in the Jamaica Classic on Nov. 18 and 20 before heading west to meet Loyola Marymount on Nov. 23. The highlight of the December slate is a Dec. 22 trip to Arizona, which is coming off a Pac-12 championship. 
|• MEAC play begins Jan. 7 against North Carolina Central. Another January highlight is defending league champion Norfolk State's trek to Hill Field House on Jan. 23.
• The final nonconference game is actually against a MEAC opponent. The Bears will meet Delaware State on Feb. 4 in the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic in Newark, N.J. Morgan State closes the regular season with three out of its last four at home, including a Senior Night showdown March 2 against crosstown rival Coppin State, before its annual trip to the MEAC tournament March 8-11 in Norfolk, Va.

PREDICTED TO FINISH SECOND IN THE MEAC
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason poll.
• The 2022-23 Bears earned 81 total points in the voting. Norfolk State claimed 15 first place votes and 127 points total as the defending MEAC champions. North Carolina Central (102 pts) was selected second, followed by Howard in third place  (93 pts). Coppin State (67 pts), Maryland Eastern Shore (46 pts), Delaware State (30 pts) and South Carolina State (30 pts) rounded out the league's predicted order of finish.
• Senior guard Malik Miller was named to the preseason All-MEAC second team.
• The 2023 MEAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 8-11 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.

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 
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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 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.