Game 21
Opponent: Coppin State Eagles 3-16, 1-3
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Site: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Time: 4 p.m. 
Broadcast: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: www.morganstatebears.com
Series: CSU leads the series 63-41
Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (76-87, 6th yr) | CSU - Larry Stewart (5-43, 2nd)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.coppinstatesports.com
Gamenotes: here
 

SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State University Bears men's basketball team looks to defend home court against the Coppin State Spartans on Saturday, January 25th, at Hill Field House. Coming off a thrilling upset victory against Norfolk State, the Bears are eager to harness that momentum and defend their home court. Meanwhile, the Eagles will be looking to add another 'W' to the win column, coming off an 88-62 win  Jan. 16 versus Cheyney. Tip-off set for 4 p.m. and fans unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on ESPN+.

• Redshirt senior guard Kameron Hobbs scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to lead the Morgan State to a 78-74 victory against Norfolk State on Monday night at Hill Field House

• Jonathan Dunn scored a career-high 23 points and the Eagles shot a season-high 51.0% from the floor, but it was not enough as the Coppin State men's basketball team fell at Howard, 90-75, on Monday night at Burr Gymnasium.

• 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. 
 

SCOUTING COPPIN STATE

• Larry Stewart, was named the new Head Men's Basketball Coach on May 2, 2023. Stewart returned to his alma mater after spending 14 years as an assistant coach at three of the other Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Maryland. Stewart served as an assistant at Bowie State for six seasons (2009-15) with the last three as associate head coach, Morgan State (2015-19, 2022-23) and Maryland Eastern Shore (2019-21) with one season as associate head coach.

• Coppin State was picked to finish last in the league. CSU finished seventh in the conference last season with a 2-27 record and went 1-13 in conference play.

• Junior 6-3 guard Toby Nnadozie (Baltimore, Md.) and 6-7 sophomore forward Jonathan Dunn (Florissan, Mo.) currently lead the Eagles in scoring. Nnadozie, a transfer from Maryland Eastern Shore, is averaging 11.5 points (No. 16 in MEAC), 3.4 rebounds, and is shooting 41% from the field and 36% from the three. Dunn, a transfer from Austin Peay, is averaging 10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and is shooting 46 percent from the field. Redshirt senior 6-7 guard Julius Ellerbe III (Ashburn, Va.) is averaging 9.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and is shooting 37% from the field.

•  January 17, 2025 - Six Eagles scored in double figures as the Coppin State men's basketball team defeated Cheyney University, 88-62 in an Education Day matchup on Thursday morning at PEC Arena.  The Eagles improved to 3-16 overall (1-3 MEAC). Jonathan Dunn led all players with 16 points and ten rebounds to notch the first double-double of his career. Toby Nnadozie stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, eight assists, eight steals and a block.

CSU by the Numbers
• 60.3: CSU currently ranks last in the MEAC in scoring.

• 11.5: The Eagles have been led by Toby Nnadozie who ranks No. 16 in the MEAC in scoring.

• 2.4:  Cam'Ron Brown leads CSU in assists (ranks No. 12 in the MEAC).

• 77.6: On average CSU is giving up just under 80 points per contest to opponents (ranks No. 5).

• .285: The Eagles rank last in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage.

• .384: CSU ranks last in the MEAC in field goal percentage.

• .681: CSU ranks No. 6 in the MEAC in free throw shooting.

• 8.1: CSU ranks No. 3 in the MEAC in steals.

THE SERIES VS. THE EAGLES
• CSU leads the series 63-41

• MSU won both meetings last season against the Eagles. 

• Morgan State won the last meeting between the teams on March 7, 2024 --  Will Thomas scored a game-high 25 points and Amahrie Simpkins had 17 points and 10 rebounds, as the Bears ran away with a 78-60 win over crosstown rival Coppin State on Thursday night at Hill Field House. Rob Lawson scored 13 points with four rebounds and four assists. Malik Battle led the way for the Eagles with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

• Coppin State's last win against Morgan was on March 2, 2023 -- Morgan State ell to the crosstown rival Coppin State Eagles, 77-65, at Hill Field House. Nendah Tarke led four Eagles in double-figures with a team-high 18 points (8-12) with five rebounds and three assists. Mike Hood finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Sam Sessoms, the MEAC's leading scorer (21 ppg), added 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds and eight assists for the Eagles. Burke scored 12 of his team-high 20 points (9-9 FT) in the second half and played 26 minutes. Junior guard Kameron Hobbs finished with 12 points (4-6 FG) with four rebounds and a steal.  

LAST TIME OUT 
BALTIMORE, MD. - Redshirt senior guard Kameron Hobbs scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to lead the Morgan State men's basketball team to a 78-74 victory against Norfolk State on Monday night at Hill Field House.

• Hobbs connected on 9-of-19 from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point territory   and added a game-high eight rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes.

• Daniel Akitoby and Amahrie Simpkins scored 15 points each. Akitoby also finished with six boards, four steals and three assists.

• Terrence Jones paced the Spartans with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes. 

• MSU shot 51 percent (29-56) from the field, including 47 percent (8-17) from 3-point territory. The Spartans shot 40 percent (28-70) from the floor and struggled from beyond the arc where they finished 7-for-27 (25%).

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.

OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR
Offensively, the Bears are setting the pace in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with an average of 82.4 points per game, ranked No. 1 in the conference in scoring.

• Morgan exploded for a season-high 124 points versus Cheney University of Pennsylvania (Dec. 4), had 123 points vs. Central Penn (Dec. 1) and 102 vs. NCCU (Jan.7).

• The Bears currently rank No. 1 in the MEAC shooting 49.7 percent from the field and No. 2 shooting 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.

• Wynston Tabbs (15.1 ppg) is leading the team.

• Morgan finished the 2023-24 regular season ranked No. 4 in scoring in the MEAC by averaging 72.7 points thru 31 games.

• The Bears averaged 74.9 points (No. 4 in MEAC) thru 31 games during the 2022-23 season.

TRIPLE H;  HOBBS' HOT HAND 
• Kameron Hobbs has been on a scoring tear lately. The Stockbridge, Georgia product has scored at least 20 points in the last 7-consecutive games.  

• It's also the longest streak of at least that long since Tiwian Kendley accomplished the feat during the 2017-18 season...Kendley had 9-consecutive games with 20 or more points. 

• He had 21 points against Campbell, uncorked 23 points at #3 Iowa State, posted a career-high 25 points against Minnesota, had a game-high 22 points against South Carolina State, exploded for 40 points in a 2OT victory against N.C. Central, had a game-high 24 points at Howard, followed by 23 points versus Norfolk State.

• Additionally, he has scored in double-figures 14 times, including his last nine games. 
 

CATCH US IF YOU CAN
• One of the best transition teams in the nation is Morgan State. 

• The Bears rank No. 9 in the NCAA based on their efficiency in scoring off fast breaks.

• Averaging an impressive 17.5 points per game from fastbreaks, they capitalize on opponents' mistakes and turn defensive plays into offensive opportunities. 

JANUARY OPPONENTS
• Morgan State will play four of five games this month inside Hill Field House, the most during a single month this season. 

• Earlier this season, the Bears went 3-5 against teams in November, and 3-4 in December.
 

THOMAS SECURES 1000TH CAREER POINT
• Redshirt senior forward Will Thomas needed just 8 points to reach 1,000 career points when the Bears faced Norfolk State on Jan. 13 at Hill Field House…he finished with 12 points and hit the milestone. 

• The Baltimore product has scored 271 points so far this season to move his career total to 1,004 points.

• Thomas currently ranks No. 31 on the school's all-time scoring list and is 9 points away from passing Joseph McLean for No. 30 (1,011 pts).

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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.