Game 23
Opponent: Delaware State Hornets 11-10, 3-3
Date: Monday, February 3, 2025
Site: Memorial Hall, Dover, Del.
Time: 7:30 p.m. 
Broadcast: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: www.dsuhornets.com
Series: MSU leads the series 66-46
Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (78-87, 6th yr) | Stan Waterman (34-79, 4th)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.dsuhornets.com
Gamenotes: here
 

SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State Bears men's basketball team aims to extend their three-game winning streak as they prepare to face Delaware State on Monday, February 3rd, at Memorial Hall. The Bears have been in strong form recently, with their latest victory coming against Maryland Eastern Shore, which boosted their conference record to an impressive 4-2. Delaware State, however, presents a formidable challenge, also riding the high of a three-game winning streak. The Hornets are fresh off a hard-fought win against Coppin State on February 1st, which has them gearing up to protect their home court against the Bears. Tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. and fans unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on ESPN+.

• Redshirt senior guard Will Thomas scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Bears to a 76-63 victory against UMES on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House.

• Robert Smith led the Hornets with 20 points and the Hornets shot 52% from the floor as they posted an 84-61 win against  Coppin State on Saturday in Baltimore

• 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 DELAWARE STATE
• Stan Waterman enters his fourth season as the head men's basketball coach at Delaware State University in 2024-25. In his first three seasons at the helm, Waterman has ignited a turnaround; improving the program's win totals in each season, including a 15-win season last year and advancing to the championship game of the MEAC tournament. The success of the 2023-24 season did not go unnoticed, as the Hornets received an invitation to participate in postseason competition in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament.

• Delaware State was picked to finish T-fifth in the league. DSU finished fourth in the conference last season with a 15-19 record and went 6-9 in conference play and fell to Howard, 70-67, in the MEAC Tournament Championship.

• Senior 6-1 guard Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa.) and 6-foot guard Martaz Robinson (Durham, N.C.) currently lead the Hornets in scoring. Smith is averaging 16.4 points (No. 6 in MEAC), 3.2 rebounds, and is shooting 42% from the field and 34% from the three. Robinson, a Baltimore product and preseason All-MEAC First Team selection, is averaging 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds (No. 4 in MEAC) and is shooting 37 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore 6-9 forward Kaseem Watson (Philadelphia, Pa.) is averaging 14.9 points (No. 8 in MEAC), 5.8 rebounds (No. 5 in MEAC) and is shooting 50% from the field (No. 3 in MEAC).

•  February 1, 2025 - The Delaware State men's basketball team shot 53.3 percent from beyond the arc on the way to an 84-61 win over the Coppin State Eagles on the road Saturday. The Hornets (11-10, 3-3) had four players score in double figures, led by Robert Smith, who had 20 points, five assists and two steals. Martaz Robinson added 19 points, five assists and two steals and Kaseem Watson chipped in as well with 13 points and seven rebounds.

DSU by the Numbers
• 76.8: DSU currently ranks No. 5 in the MEAC in scoring.

• 16.4: The Hornets have been led by Robert Smith who ranks No. 6 in the MEAC in scoring.

• 3.2:  Corey Perkins leads DSU in assists (ranks No. 6 in the MEAC).

• 71.0: On average DSU is giving up just over 70 points per contest to opponents (ranks No. 3).

• .360: The Hornets rank No. 2 in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage.

• .458: UMES ranks No. 5 in the MEAC in field goal percentage.

THE SERIES VS. THE HORNETS
• MSU leads the series 66-46

• DSU won both meetings last season.

• Morgan's last win against Delaware State was on February 25, 2023 -- Morgan defended home court with a 83-78 win over Delaware State. Senior guard Isaiah Burke led four Bears in double-figures with 21 points, six assists and four boards. Kameron Hobbs added 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and had four assists. O'Koye Parker led the Hornets with a game-high 23 points (10-19) and four rebounds off the bench, while Martez Robinson finished with 20 points (7-10 FG) and game-high nine rebounds to go along with four assists and three steals. 

• DSU's last win against Morgan was on February 19, 2024 --  Deywilk Tavarez scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Hornets to an 80-58 victory against Morgan State in front of a packed house at Memorial Hall. Freshman guard Deywilk Taverez led the Hornets with a game-high 21 points on 8-for 11 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point territory in 24 minutes. Martaz Robinson had a double-double by finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with three steals and three assists. Kameron Hobbs and Will Thomas led the Bears with 11 points and three assists apiece.

LAST TIME OUT 
BALTIMORE, MD. - Morgan State maintained control throughout the game, winning 76-63 against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House. Will Thomas scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Bears to their third straight win.

• Will Thomas shot 9-for-18 from the field, including 4-for-7 from the free-throw line, and grabbed six rebounds in 38 minutes.

• Kameron Hobbs, who entered the game with an 8-game streak of scoring 20 or more points, finished with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, with six assists and three rebounds in 35 minutes.

• Evan Johnson led the Hawks with a game-high 25 points, while Ketron Shaw, the No. 3 ranked scorer in the MEAC (18.6 ppg), contributed 12 points (4-12 FG) with five boards and a block, Christopher Flippin and Jalen Ware chipped in eight points apiece.

• Morgan State shot 50.9% (27-53) from the field compared to UMES's 39.3% (22-56). The Bears knocked down 33.3% (4-12) of their three-pointers, while UMES struggled at 23.8% (5-21).

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 81.8 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 49.5 percent from the field and No. 3 shooting 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.

• Kameron Hobbs (14.7 ppg; No. 9 in MEAC) 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.

SO 'KAMTASTIC'! 
• Kameron Hobbs has been on a scoring tear lately. The Stockbridge, Georgia product had scored at least 20 points in 8-consecutive games before his last outing against Maryland Eastern Shore (Feb. 1) in which he scored 10 points.  

• His 20-point run was 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 and 20 against Coppin State.

• Additionally, he has scored in double-figures 16 times, including his last 11 games. 

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

• The Bears rank No. 5 in the NCAA based on their efficiency in scoring off fast breaks.

• Averaging an impressive 17.9 points per game from fastbreaks, they capitalize on opponents' mistakes and turn defensive plays into offensive opportunities. 

STAY ON TARGET
• Morgan is shooting .495 (681-1375) from the floor and shot 50 percent-or-better eight times (7-2 record), including a season-high .667 (36-54) on Dec. 15 versus Campbell. 

• Last season, the Bears shot .451 (840-1862) and shot 50 percent-or-better 6 times (5-1 record), including a season-high .635 (54-85) on Dec. 9, 2024 vs. Virginia Lynchburg.

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 316 points so far this season to move his career total to 1,049 points.

• Thomas currently ranks No. 25 on the school's all-time scoring list and is 3 points away from passing Maurice Jennings for No. 24 (1,051 pts; 1974-78).

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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.