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Game 25
Opponent: South Carolina State
Date: Monday, February 13, 2023
Site: Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center, Orangeburg, S.C.
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Series Record: SCSU leads the series 44-41
Live Stats: here
Live Stream: here
MSU Coaches: Kevin Broadus (54-51, 4th yr) • SCSU – Erik Martin (4-20, 1st)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.scsubulldogs.com

SETTING THE STAGE
The Morgan State men's basketball team (12-12, 4-4) prepare to take on the South Carolina State Bulldogs (4-20, 1-7) on Monday night in Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center in Orangeburg, S.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.  It will mark the second meeting between the teams. The Bears defeated South Carolina State at Hill Field House, 90-85, on January 9th.  
•  Justin Wright had 25 points and 11 rebounds and North Carolina Central scored 40 points in the paint in an 83-63 win over Morgan State on Saturday night at McDougald-McLendon Arena. Lewis Djonkam paced the Bears scoring 11 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and finished with six rebounds, two steals and an assist in 36 minutes.
• NCCU shot 52-percent from the field and 41-percent from behind the arc while the Bears shot 40-percent from the field and connected on 4-of-15 (.267) 3-pointers.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
• South Carolina State enters Monday night's coming off a 94-84 win against Coppin State on Saturday afternoon at S-H-M Arena. With the win, the Bulldogs snapped a 7-game losing streak and improve to 4-20 and 1-7 in conference play. Latavian Lawrence finished with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds, while Rashaan Edwards added 17 points and seven assists. The Bulldogs shot 59 percent  from the field, including 11-for-25 from 3-point territory. The Bulldogs outscored Coppin by a 42-34 margin in the paint and held a 31-18 advantage in points off the bench.
• Erik Martin enters his first season in Orangeburg. One of the top assistant coaches in Division I basketball, was selected to lead the South Carolina State University men's basketball program by Bulldogs Athletics. Director Stacy L. Danley. With over 20 years of coaching experience, Martin is in his 17th season as a Division I coach. He most recently served 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Huggins at West Virginia. While at West Virginia in 2007, the Mountaineers won the 2010 Big East Championship and have advanced to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2010 Final Four and five NCAA Sweet 16s.
• Sophomore 6-2 guard Lesown Hallums (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is averaging 11.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg and is shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from the three to lead the Bulldogs. Junior 5-10 guard Rakeim Gary (Dallas, Texas)  is averaging averaging 11.5 ppg and is shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from 3-point territory. Freshman guard DaJuan "DJ" Bates (Chicago, Ill.) is averaging 11.0 ppg and Cameron Jones (Memphis, Tenn.) is  averaging 8.7 ppg and 3.1 rpg.
• The Bulldogs are averaging 74.8 points per game, while allowing its opponents to 85.3 points.
• SCSU is shooting 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc.

THE SERIES
• Monday's contest will mark the 86th meeting between the schools ... The Bulldogs lead the series 44-41.
• Morgan State's last win against South Carolina State was on January 9, 2023 --  Senior guard Malik Miller scored a game and career-high 32 points and Isaiah Burke matched his career-high with 30 points to lead Morgan State to a 90-85 victory over South Carolina State on a Monday night inside Hill Field House. Senior guard Isaiah Burke scored 14 of his 30 points (11-22 FG) in the first half and connected on 6-of-12 3-pointers and added five assists.
• SCSU's last win against Morgan was on February 9, 2019 --  Stanley Davis scored 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field to lead four teammates in double-figure scoring for the Bears, who came up short in Orangeburg. Damani Applewhite scored a game-high 21 points, including the go-ahead dunk with 2:07 left, and South Carolina State rallied to beat Morgan State 85-81 on Saturday at the Smith-Harold-Middleton Memorial Center. 
• Morgan has won the last six meetings against the Bulldogs since the 2019-20 season.

TWO PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES 
The Bears will enter Saturday's game against North Carolina Central with only one player averaging double-digits.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke is averaging a team-high 19.6 points with 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and is shooting a league-best 44.0 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.
• Morgan defeated Delaware State 75-65 before a crowd of 13,451 fans. Lewis Djonkam was named the HBCU Legacy Classic Most Valuable Player of the Game after posting a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds.

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Offensively, Morgan leads the MEAC by currently averaging 76.8 points thru its first 24 games.
• Morgan exploded for 130 points in its home opener versus Penn State Allegheny.
• The Bears are No. 4 in the MEAC shooting 45.7 percent from the field and  rank No. 1 shooting 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke (19.6 ppg) is leading the team and ranks No. 31 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 71.8 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting from the floor and 31.2 percent from 3-point range, allowing 6.0 long distance strikes per night. 
• Morgan's defense ranks No. 1 in the country in   turnovers forced (458 turnovers;  19.08 avg.); the Bears also ranked No. 3 in steals per game with 241 steals (10.0).
• The Bears rank No. 28 in the nation with 115 blocks (4.8 blk/g). 
• Morgan State has been outrebounded by the opponent by a -2.5 margin as the opponent has grabbed 907 total boards (37.8  rebs/g) compared to the 848 total rebounds (35.3 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 Sunday, Feb. 12 the Bears rank No. 1 among all MEAC teams in 3-point shooting percentage (37.6%, 172-for-457). 
• Isaiah Burke leads the conference shooting 44.0% from 3-point range (80-for-182). 
• 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 80, Hobbs has 34, 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 8-8 record in their non-conference slate of games this season (Feb. 4 vs. Delaware State was officially logged as a non-conference contest).
• 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.