Game 8
Opponent: Towson Tigers (3-2)
Date: Sunday, November 24, 2024
Site: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Time: Sunday – 4:00 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+, audio broadcast on HSRN (HSRN.com)
Live Stats: www.morganstatebears.com
Series: Towson Leads 18-14
Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (71-79, 6th yr) | TU - Pat Skerry (216-201, 14th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.towsontigers.com
SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State University men's basketball team will face the Towson Tigers on Sunday (Nov. 24) at 4 p.m. (EST) inside Hill Field House. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com).
• Kameron Hobbs scored a team-high 20 points off the bench in Morgan's 82-73 loss to Buffalo in the Buffalo Classic last Friday night. Towson will enter the matchup looking to extend their 2-game winning streak after posting a 70-64 win at Nicholls State last Wednesday in Thibodeux, La. Dylan Williamson led the Tigers with 26 points and Nendah Tarke added 19 points and five rebounds.
• Graduate student Wynston Tabbs and redshirt senior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC first team. In addition, redshirt senior Kameron Hobbs has been named to the preseason All-MEAC Third Team. Tabbs started in 19 of 24 games and earned All-MEAC Second Team honors. He averaged 14.8 points and finished the regular season ranked No. 6 in the MEAC in scoring, including a career-high 38 points versus UMBC on Dec. 26. Thomas started in 24 of 30 games and finished the 2023-24 season as an All-MEAC Second Team selection. He averaged 14.0 points a game with a nearly absurd shooting efficiency as he's converted 47 percent from the field (ranked No. 2). Hobbs had an impressive season, starting in 27 of the 31 games he played and showcasing his skills on the court for an average of 31.0 minutes per game. His scoring ability was evident as he averaged 10.1 points per game, while his 35 percent from beyond the arc (47-133).
• MSU returns veteran guards Rob Lawson (8.9 ppg), and Amahrie Simpkins (8.7 ppg) from the starting lineup and added several newcomers including guard Pierce Shirk from Georgia Southern, guard forward Jayden Socka from Prince George's C.C., forward Marland Harris from West Los Angeles College, and forward Logan Schayes from Beacon College via the transfer portal.
• Morgan's roster includes one freshman, four sophomores, seven juniors, four seniors and a graduate student.
SCOUTING TOWSON
• Towson is led by head coach Pat Skerry who enters his 14th season as the Tigers' head basketball coach. Towson enters the 2024-25 season having won at least 19 games in eight seasons in the last 12 years. Towson earned its third consecutive 20+ win season during the 2023-24 campaign, going 20-14 overall, including an 11-7 CAA record, finishing fourth place in the league and reaching the league semifinal round.
• Towson currently has a 3-2 overall record and have won their last two games.
• Towson enters Sunday's contest averaging 69.8 points per game on 41 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc. The Tigers are averaging 11.0 assists and 8.4 steals per game.
• Redshirt sophomore 6-1 guard Dylan Williamson (Upper Marlboro, Md.) is leading the Tigers' squad averaging a team-high 16.2 points per game and is shooting 56 percent from the field and 58 percent from beyond the arc.
• Sophomore 6-9 forward Tyler Tejada (Teaneck, N.J.) is averaging 14.7 points on 45 percent shooting from the floor, and redshirt senior 6-foot-4 guard Nendah Tarke (Gaithersburg, Md./Coppin State) is averaging 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals.
THE SERIES VS. TOWSON
• Towson leads the series 18-14.
• Tyler Tejada had 15 points to help Towson defeat Morgan State 67-58 and snap a 3-game losing streak on Sunday night at TU Arena. Tejada finished with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting and added three rebounds to lead four Tigers in double-figures. Kameron Hobbs paced the Bears with 11 points and connected on 4-of-6 free throws in 32 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Amahrie Simpkins chipped in 10 points with six rebounds in 33 minutes.
• Morgan's last win against Towson was a 74-69 win on Dec. 8, 2018 in the Charm City Classic at Royal Farms Arena. Sherwyn Devonish-Prince had a game-high 19 points (3-4 3FG) and David Syfax added 10 as the Bears won the 30th all-time meeting between the Maryland schools.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
BUFFALO, N.Y. (Nov. 22, 2024) - In the first meeting between the Bears and Bulls in nearly 30 years, it was a battle until the very end as Buffalo (3-3, 0-0 MAC) held on for an 82-73 win on Friday evening at Alumni Arena. Morgan State men's basketball team (3-4, 0-0 MEAC) fell short on the evening as Buffalo handed them their second straight road loss.
• Tyson Dunn led the Bulls with a game-high 22 points as he was 9-for-13 from the floor. He also finished with eight assists, six rebounds and four steals in 33 minutes. Brayden Jackson recorded 18 points (8-11 FG) off the bench, and Ryan Sabon chipped in 12 (3-4 3FG).
• Senior Kameron Hobbs scored a season-high 20 points off the bench on Friday evening. Amahrie Simpkins finished with 16 points (7-10 FG), with seven boards and three assists, while Wynston Tabbs chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.
THE SCHEDULE
• Morgan State opens the season at home Nov. 4 against Division II Frostburg State, with Division I newcomer Mercyhurst visiting Hill Field House two days later. The Bears will play seven of their first 11 games at home, including a Nov. 24 date with local rival Towson.
• December brings trips to three power conference opponents: Xavier (Dec. 10), Iowa State (Dec. 22) and Minnesota (Dec. 29). The Bears open MEAC play Jan. 4 at home against South Carolina State and will play their last home game March 3 against Delaware State.
• The regular-season finale is three days later at Coppin State, followed the next week by the MEAC tournament in Norfolk, Va.
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
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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.
