SETTING THE STAGE
• Morgan State men's basketball makes a trip to Princess Anne, Md. for a clash with the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday night. The Bears won the first meeting (76-63) between the teams on Feb 1st, and are is looking to rebound from a road loss against Norfolk State. Tip-off is et for 4 p.m. and fans unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on ESPN+.

• Morgan suffered an 69-60 setback against Norfolk State on Monday night. Kameron Hobbs spearheaded the Bears with a solid 20-point effort and Daniel Akitoby contributed 17 points and secured six boards.

• The University of Maryland Eastern Shore posted a 68-59 home win against North Carolina Central on Monday, and snapped an 11-game losing streak. Evan Johnson paced the Hawks with 19 points (10-10 FTs), while Cardell Bailey added 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. 

• 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 MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
• Cleo Hill, Jr.,was named the head men's basketball coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in June of 2024. A veteran coach, Hill comes to UMES with 17 seasons of head coaching experience along with a variety of assistant coaching roles and an impressive collegiate playing career at North Carolina Central University. Hill spent the previous six seasons as the head coach of the Rams at Winston-Salem State University. Last season, Hill led the Rams to a 19-9 overall record along with a perfect 6-0 record in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northern Division. With the top record in the CIAA, the Rams were ranked in the D2CSC Atlantic Poll eight times.

• Maryland Eastern Shore was picked to finish seventh in the league. UMES finished seventh in the conference last season with a 9-20 record and went 4-10 in conference play.

• Junior 6-5 guard Ketron "KC" Shaw (Charlotte, N.C.) and 6-foot guard Evan Johnson (Durham, N.C.) currently lead the Hawks in scoring. Shaw, a transfer from Winston-Salem State, is averaging 18.6 points (No. 3 in MEAC), 6.1 rebounds, and is shooting 45% from the field and 26% from the three. Johnson, a transfer from Georgia State, is averaging 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and is shooting 44 percent from the field. Junior 6-8 forward Christopher Flippin (Metarie, La.) is averaging 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and is shooting 59% from the field.

•  February 25, 2025 - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks were able to get into the MEAC win column with a 68-59 home win over North Carolina Central on Monday. Evan Johnson led a balanced UMES offense with 19 points while going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. KC Shaw added 16 points while grabbing a game-high and season best 12 rebounds and dishing out six assists. Cardell Bailey scored 14 points along with seven rebounds and four assists.

UMES by the Numbers
• 67.0: CSU currently ranks No. 7 in the MEAC in scoring.

• 18.1: The Hawks have been led by Ketron "KC" Shaw who ranks No. 3 in the MEAC in scoring.

• 3.1:  Shaw also leads UMES in assists (ranks No. 6 in the MEAC).

• 78.7: On average UMES is giving up just under 80 points per contest to opponents (ranks No. 6).

• .312: The Hawks rank No. 7 in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage.

• .424: UMES ranks No. 7 in the MEAC in field goal percentage.

• .657: UMES ranks last in the MEAC in free throw shooting.

• 5.3: UMES ranks No. 8 in the MEAC in steals.

THE SERIES VS. THE HAWKS
• MSU leads the series 59-42. 

•  Maryland Eastern Shore's last win against Morgan was on January 6, 2024 --  Morgan blew a late lead and fell to Maryland Eastern Shore by a score of 75-74 at the Hytche Athletic Center. Troy Hupstead paced the Hawks with 14 points (5-14 FG) and finished with a game-high 13 rebounds. Wynston Tabbs led the Bears with a game-high 20 points and connected on 4-of-7 3-pointers. Kameron Hobbs added 16 points (4-5 3FG) and had four rebounds, two assists and a block in 30 minutes. Malang Athian scored on a tip-in to trim the lead to 74-73 and Hupstead grabbed an offensive board and was fouled on a putback with 2 seconds left to go with a chance to take the lead from the stripe…he hit both free throws.

• Morgan's last win against UMES was on February 1, 2025 -- Morgan State maintained control throughout the game, winning 76-63 against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks at Hill Field House. Will Thomas scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Bears to their third straight win. 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.

LAST TIME OUT 
NORFOLK, Va. - The short story:  Five Spartans scored in double-figures in a 69-60 win against Morgan State on Monday night at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall. 

• Christian Ings led the Spartans with 12 points on 5-for 10 shooting from the field and had three rebounds. Jalen Moore (11), Terrence Jones (11), Chris Fields Jr. (11) and Jalen Myers (10) also scored double-figures.

• Kuluel Mading grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and finished with two blocked shots.

• Will Thomas led the Bears with a game-high 31 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field, including 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Kameron Hobbs provided a spark in the second half, scoring 9 of his 27 points after halftime.

• Daniel Akitoby recorded a game-high 13 rebounds and had three blocks.

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.

OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR
Offensively, the Bears are setting the pace in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with an average of 80.6 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. 2 in the MEAC shooting 48 percent from the field and No. 4 shooting 33.9 percent from beyond the arc.

• Kameron Hobbs (15.7 ppg; No. 7 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 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 St. and 20 at Coppin St.

• Additionally, he has scored in double-figures 21 times, including his last 16 games... and he's scored 20 or more points in 12 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 15.7 points per game from fastbreaks, they capitalize on opponents' mistakes and turn defensive plays into offensive opportunities. 

STAY ON TARGET
• Morgan is shooting .480 (771-1588) from the floor and shot 50 percent-or-better 10 times (8-2 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.

999 POINTS AND COUNTING
• Redshirt senior guard Kameron Hobbs is 1-point away from hitting his 1,000th career point when the Bears take on Maryland Eastern Shore this weekend.

• He currently has 999 career points at Morgan State.

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. 
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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.