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Game 21
Opponent: Norfolk State (8-12,2-2)
Date: Monday, January 29, 2024
Site: Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall, Norfolk, Va.
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Series Record: NSU leads the series 44-20
Live Stream: www.nsuspartans.com/watch
Live Stats: www.nsuspartans.com
Radio: Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN)
Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (63-71, 5th yr) | NSU - Robert Jones (201-145, 11th)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.nsuspartans.com

SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State University men's basketball team will look to win their third straight game when they return to action on Monday, January 29 in the Tidewater against the Norfolk State Spartans.  The matchup tips off at 7:30 p.m. (EST) at Echols Hall.  The game will be streamed live via Norfolk State's athletics website and will be broadcast by the Heritage Radio Sports Network (HSRN.com).
• Will Thomas and Wynston Tabbs combined for 44 points to lead the Bears to an 85-79 victory against Howard on Saturday inside Hill Field House. 
• Redshirt junior guard Kamron Hobbs and redshirt junior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC second team. Last season, Hobbs started in 16 of 31 games played and averaged 28.1 minutes. He averaged 8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and shot 44.7 percent from the field and 45 percent (45-100) from 3-point territory. Hobbs also averaged 2.7 assists (ranked No. 10 in MEAC) and 1.4 steals.  He scored in double-figures 13 times, including a season-high 24 points versus Delaware State (Feb. 4). Thomas started in 8 of 29 games played last season and averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and shot 43.4 percent from the field and 34 percent (16-47) from 3-point territory.  He scored in double-figures 10 times, scored 20 or more points five times, and poured in a season-high 27 points (11-22 FG) and grabbed 11 rebounds versus Norfolk State (Jan. 23).
• Several newcomers could make an impact for the Bears this season. Morgan added guard Wynston Tabbs from East Carolina, guard Kiran Oliver from New Mexico State, and forward Myles Thompson from Saint Francis (Pa.) via the transfer portal. 
• Morgan's roster includes three freshman, three sophomores, seven juniors, and three seniors.

SCOUTING NORFOLK STATE
• Head coach Robert Jones enters his 11th season as the Spartans head coach and his 17th year overall with the Spartans. He led the program to its second-consecutive MEAC title in 2022 and an NCAA Tournament First Four win over Appalachian State in 2021. The MEAC Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021, Jones has led NSU to a .743-win percentage in league play – fifth in the nation among coaches with at least 100 games coached – and made seven postseason appearances in nine years of postseason play. In Jones' tenure, the Spartans have won three MEAC regular season titles and two MEAC Tournament championships. Norfolk State has appeared in the last four MEAC Tournament championship games, and five of the last six.
• Norfolk State was picked second in the conference's predicted order of finish.  Three Spartans also picked up preseason All-MEAC honors, led by Christian Ings who was selected to the preseason first team. Jamarii Thomas and George Beale Jr.  were voted to the preseason All-MEAC third team.
• Norfolk State overcame a cold shooting performance on Saturday, defeating Coppin State 68-58 at Echols Hallon Saturday, Jan.  27. Christian Ings continued a stretch of consistency, posting 10 points and six rebounds at the guard position. The Spartans could not convert from deep all afternoon, shooting 0-12 from behind the 3-point line, including an 0-8 showing in the first half. The Spartans outscored CSU 40-20 in the paint

NSU by the Numbers
• 75.1: NSU is scoring by averaging 75.1 points per game (No. 3 in the MEAC).
• 17.0: The Spartans have been led by junior 6-0 guard Jamarii Thomas who is averaging 17.0 points (ranks No. 2 in MEAC) with 3.8 rebounds and is shooting 43 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free throw line.
• 67.5: On average NSU is giving up just under 70 points per contest to opponents.
• .404: The Spartans rank No. 1 in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage.
• .453: The Spartans rank No. 2 in the MEAC in field goal percentage.
• .334: The Spartans rank No. 2 in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage and are averaging 6.4 3-point makes per contest.

THE SERIES VS. NSU
• Monday's contest will mark the 65th meeting between the schools ... The Bears lead the series 44-20.
• Morgan's last win against Norfolk State was on January 23, 2023 -- Redshirt sophomore forward Will Thomas poured in a game and career-high 27 points and senior guard Isaiah Burke added 21 points to help lead Morgan to a 77-71 conference win against Norfolk State on ESPNU in front of an energized crowd at Hill Field House. Thomas, who entered the game averaging 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds, was inserted to the starting lineup in place of Malik Miller who was out due to injury. 
• NSU's last win against Morgan was on February 18, 2023 --  Kris Bankston had a game-high 23 points and Norfolk State scored 38 points in the paint in a 72-50 win over Morgan at Echols Memorial Hall. Bankston came up just shy of recording  his fifth double-double of the season as he led the Spartans with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting while also pulling down nine rebounds (8 defensive) to go along with five blocked shots. Redshirt sophomore forward Will Thomas led the Bears with 14 points (6-12 FG) and had five boards and two steals in 33 minutes.
• Howard has won three of the last four meetings against the Bears.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
BALTIMORE, Md. -  Wynston Tabbs and Will Thomas combined for 44 points to lead the Morgan State men's basketball team to an 85-79 victory against Beltway rival Howard on Saturday at Hill Field House. The Bears improved to 6-14 overall and 2-2 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. The Bison dropped to 8-12 (2-2 MEAC).
• Redshirt-junior Will Thomas scored a game-high 24 points on an efficient 11-of-17 shooting from the field in 33 minutes. He also had five rebound and a blocked shot.
• Redshirt-senior guard Wynston Tabbs scored 10 of his 20 points (4-9 3FG) in the closing moments to seal the Bears victory. The reinging MEAC Player of the Week, also added five boards and three assists and converted 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
• Sophomore Rob Lawson added 11 points (7-10 FT), including a season- game-high seven assists 34 minutes.
• Seth Townes, a graduate student from Columbus, Ohio, led the Bison with 21-points on 8-of-13 shooting.
•  Morgan connected on 54.4 percent of their shots from the field and was 6 of 19 from behind the arc, while the Bison shot 51 percent from the field and connected on 6 of 20 (.300) 3-pointers.
•  Tabbs hit a deep three to give the Bears a 76-73 lead. Howard's Seth Townes scored on a reverse layup to trim the lead to 76-75, but once again, Tabbs responded with another deep 3-pointer to give the Bears a 79-75 cushion with 49 seconds to go. 

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
• Morgan scored 100 points in their home-opener vs. Cheney University of Pa. (11/9/23).
• Morgan scored 100 or more points twice during the 2022-23 season and a season-high 120 point explosion vs. Virginia-Lynchburg (Dec. 9).
• The Bears recorded 130 points in the home-opener vs. Penn State Allegheny (11/11/22).
• Morgan registered 123 points in a home win vs. Virginia-Lynchburg (11/29/22).

HOME COOKING 
• Morgan is 5-3 at home so far this season.
• Morgan completed the 2022-23 regular season 10-2 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.

LINE DANCING
The Bears' returning team includes nine players who shot 70 percent or better from the free throw line this season.
• Morgan has converted 72.8 percent (238-327; ranks No. 4 in MEAC) from the stripe thru 20 games.
• Wynston Tabbs is shooting a league-best 88.0 percent (44-50), Will Thomas is shooting 82.2 percent (37-45) and Kamron Hobbs is shooting 80.0 percent (24-30) from the stripe to lead the Bears.
• Last season, Morgan shot 68.8 percent (391-558; ranked No. 6 in MEAC) from the stripe, led by Kamron Hobbs who shot 80.6 percent (29-36) and Will Thomas 78.6 percent (33-42).

TABBS SHOOTING TO THE TOP 
Redshirt senior guard Wynston Tabbs is averaging 16.3 points, and ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in scoring, netting a career-high 38 points vs. UMBC on Dec. 26.  
• He is also shooting a league-best .880 from the free throw percentage, ranks No. 5 in field goal percentage (.404) and No. 5 in 3-pointers made per game (2.1 makes) from three-point range per game.
• Tabbs has made 33 of 89 three-point shots this season (37.1 percent).
• Tabbs returned to the floor against NJIT (Dec. 31) after missing the previous four games due to injury.
• He has scored in double figures 12 times, including six games with 20 or more points.
• He was named MEAC Offensive Player of the Week as a result of scoring seven of his 25 points (7-12 FG) in overtime to lead the Bears to an 89-86 victory against Coppin State (Jan. 20). He also recorded four steals, three boards, and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

MIDRANGE MONSTER
Will Thomas and his mid range shooting has become a lethal trademark for the 6-foot-6 veteran wingman.
• Through 20 games, the Baltimore product is hitting his mid-rangers at a high clip and he's currently averaging 11.5 points a game with a nearly absurd shooting efficiency as he's converted 47.3 percent from the field.
• He has scored in double figures 11 times, including five games with 20 or more points.
• Thomas scored a game-high 24 points on an efficient 11-of-17 shooting from the field in 33 minutes against Howard (1/27). He also had five rebounds and a blocked shot.

NON-CONFERENCE RECAP 
• Morgan recorded a 4-12 mark in non-conference play this season.
• The Bears registered a 8-9 record in their non- conference slate of games during the 2022-23 season (Feb. 4 vs. Delaware State was officially logged as a non-conference contest).

WHO'S OUT
• Malik Miller (Washington, D.C.), Khalil Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.), Isaiah Burke (Bowie, Md.), Daiquan Copeland (Philadelphia, Pa.), Lewis Djonkam(Springfield, Va.), Toto Fagbenle (London, England), Collin Nnamene (Enugu State, Nigeria), David McCullough (Bowie, Md.) and Ty Horner (Sisters, Ore.) wrapped up their Morgan careers last spring.

WHO'S BACK
The Bears return one starter from last year's team, bringing back guard Kamron Hobbs. MSU also returns forward Will Thomas along with guards Rob Lawson and  Kevon Wiggins.

WHO'S IN 
The Bears have added several newcomers to the 2023-24 roster: G Wynston Tabbs, G Demajion Topps, F Myles Thompson, G Kiran Oliver, G Amahrie Simpkins, F Daniel Akiotoby, F Trent Edwards, G Marvin Brimage, F Christian Oliver, G Tytan Newton, F Allen Udemadu, and G Xavier Valley.

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 30.2 percent of its scoring, 24.5 percent of its rebounding and 34.3 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Kamron Hobbs - .447), three-point percentage (Hobbs, .450), free throw percentage (Hobbs, .806), rebounding (Kyle Thomas - 3.9 rpg), assists (Hobbs, 2.7), steals (Hobbs, 1.4), blocked shots (Thomas, 0.2). and minutes played (Hobbs, 28.1). Two (2) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago.

HOME GROWN 
Morgan State has six (6) players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Redshirt junior forward Will Thomas is from Baltimore and was a prep standout at Mervo HS, while sophomore guard Rob Lawson is from Capitol Heights and played at National Christian Academy, and freshman guard Staccardo Washington played at Dr. Henry A. Wise HS and is from Upper Marlboro. East Carolina transfer Wynston Tabbs hails from Suitland and played at St. Mary's Ryken School. Freshman guard Marvin Brimage is from Washington, D.C. and played at Jackson-Reed HS. Santa Monica College transfer Daniel Akitoby is a product of Fairfax, Va. and played at Falls Church HS.

THE SCHEDULE
The Bears won't ease into the season, opening the schedule Nov. 6 at Arizona. Another trip west comes later in the month with trips to Fresno State (Nov. 15) and Brigham Young (Nov. 18). Another high-profile game comes Dec. 27 with a visit to Virginia.
• "We're going to be battle tested," Broadus says. "The key is, we just have to be healthy, we have to be smart, we have to learn how to play together through adversity. I think once we do that, we're going to be really good."
• The home opener is Nov. 9 against Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Among the other highlights will be local foe UMBC visiting Hill Field House on Dec. 6, and James Madison making the trip to Morgan for a pre-Christmas matinee on Dec. 22.
• The Bears' MEAC opener is Jan. 6 at Maryland-Eastern Shore, followed two days later by a visit from Delaware State. The regular season ends with a four-game homestand, capped by a Senior Day showdown against crosstown rival Coppin State on March 7.
•  "We just have to put it together," Broadus says. "I like what we've got. I think we have a good nucleus and I like how we're doing things."

PREDICTED TO FINISH FOURTH 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 2023-24 Bears earned 72 total points in the voting. Howard claimed 11 first place votes and 107 points total as the defending MEAC champions. Norfolk State (96 pts) was selected second, followed by North Carolina Central in third place  (79 pts). Maryland Eastern Shore (55 pts), Delaware State (39 pts), Coppin State (30 pts) and South Carolina State (26 pts) rounded out the league's predicted order of finish.
• Redshirt junior guard Kamron Hobbs and redshirt junior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC second team.
• The 2024 MEAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 13-16 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, Jr. 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.

  
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, 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.