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Game 19
Opponent: University of Virginia-Lynchburg (0-21)
Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Site: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Game Time: 6 p.m.
Series Record: MSU leads the series 2-0
Live Stream: n/a
Live Stats: www.morganstatebears.com
Coaches: MSU -Kevin Broadus (87-107, 7th yr) • VUL – Kevin Johnson (0-21, 1st yr)
Websites: www.morganstatebears.com | www.vul.prestosports.com

SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State men's basketball team will look to add to the win column on Tuesday, Jan. 20, as the Bears host the University of Virginia–Lynchburg at Hill Field House. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. Morgan State enters the matchup riding the momentum of an 80–79 MEAC road victory at Delaware State on Saturday, while VUL will be seeking a rebound after an 82–76 setback at Warren Wilson College last Friday (Jan. 16).

• Senior guard Alfred Worrell Jr. played in 32 games and averaged 6.5 points and 1.6 rebounds as a junior at Southern Mississippi last season. He enters Tuesday's matchup leading the Bears by averaging 15.3 points on 39 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from 3-point territory.

• Rob Lawson has emerged as a major spark off the bench to open the 2025–26 season. The senior guard led the Bears with a game-high 20 points, adding five rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes at Georgetown on Nov. 11. He followed that effort with another 20-point outing against Central Penn at Hill Field House. He's currently averaging 13.2 points on 39 percent shooting from the field.

• Graduate guard Elijah Davis transferred from Bowie State, where he started in every game (30) and averaged 10 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.9 steals, and 31.8 minutes. He also played for Mississippi Valley State (2021-22), Walter State C.C. (2022-23), and Incarnate Word (2023-24). He's averaging 12.7 points, 5.4 assists, and 2.9 rebounds and is shooting 47 percent from the floor.

• Graduate guard Walter Peggs Jr. was a BOXTOROW DII HBCU All-America First Team selection as a standout at Spring Hill College. He became the program's leading scorer in the Division-II era, with 1,137 career points. Peggs is currently averaging 8.6 points and 2.0 rebounds.

• Graduate center Dallas James spent four seasons at South Carolina State before joining the Indiana Hoosiers in 2024-25.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA-LYNCHBURG
• Virginia-Lynchburg is led by head coach Kevin Johnson. The Birmingham, Alabama native, brings over 35 years of coaching experience and a deep passion for player development to every team he leads. A proud alumnus of Huffman High School, he went on to earn his B.S. in History from Virginia State University and later completed a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. His coaching journey began at his alma mater, Huffman High School, where he held multiple tenures from 1989 to 1992 and again from 1994 to 1997. He also led the girls program at Ensley High School, and later became the Head boys JV and Varsity assistant from 2004-2006 for the Amelia Academy (VA)—where he helped guide the team to a VIS Final Four appearance—Evangel Christian School (VA), where he captured a DIII Independent Schools State Championship in 2007, and Monacan High School in Midlothian, VA.
• VUL is a member of the NCCAA. Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ.
• The Dragons' roster consists of six freshmen, three sophomores, and four juniors.
• The Dragons enter Tuesday looking for their first win of the season. They are currently 0-21.
•  Jan. 16, 2026 -  Tahj Williams scored 22 points to lead Warren Wilson in an 82-76 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg on Friday night. The Dragons were paced by Naquan Lyons, who had 22 points and 16 rebounds, and Jacob Newman finished with 20 points, six assists, and four rebounds. 

VUL by the Numbers
• 66.0: Virginia University of Lynchburg is averaging 66 points per game (rank No. 40 in NCCAA).
• 16: The Dragon's Naquan Lyons collected 16 boards and four blocked shots in the Dragons' matchup versus Warren Wilson.
• 115: On average, the VUL is giving up over 115 points per contest to opponents (No. 42).
• 12.2: Jacob Newman has been VUL's leading scorer this season and is shooting 36 percent from the field.

THE SERIES
• MSU leads the series 2-0. 

• MSU's last win against VUL was on December 9, 2023 -- Trent Edwards and Christian Oliver scored 18 points apiece off the bench, while Kamron Hobbs added a game-high 15 assists with 14 points, as Morgan State defeated Virginia-Lynchburg, 120-50 at Hill Field House. Edwards scored a season-high 18 points (9-12 FG) and grabbed 11 rebounds with three blocked shots in 36 minutes. Oliver grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and scored 18 points (8-14 FG) with two blocks in 21 minutes.

AT THE HELM
• Kevin Broadus enters his seventh season at the helm of the program, having been named the men's head basketball coach in 2019.
• The Broadus-led Bears team has compiled several significant victories over non-conference competition, elevating the caliber of wins for a program that aims to compete at a championship level within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Broadus demonstrated exemplary leadership while successfully overcoming numerous challenges at the onset of his tenure at Morgan, including navigating the rebuilding of a program under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• During the 2024–25 season, the Bears finished with an overall record of 14–18, highlighted by a balanced 7–7 mark in MEAC play. The performance mirrored that of the previous season, when Morgan State went 11–20 overall, while also posting a .500 conference record. In 2022–23, the Bears finished 15–15 overall and 7–7 in the MEAC, following a 13–15 campaign in 2021–22 that saw them place fourth in the league standings and reach the MEAC Tournament semifinals. The year prior, in 2021, Morgan advanced all the way to the MEAC Tournament championship game.
• Before Morgan, Broadus worked at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was one of the nation's best recruiters as the top assistant on Mark Turgeon's coaching staff. Broadus was influential in the successful NCAA tournament run for the Terps.
• Consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally for recruiting, Broadus was instrumental in signing several local Baltimore talents such as DeJuan Summers, Brandon Herbert, LaFonta Johnson, and Henry Sims.

WHO'S OUT
Kameron Hobbs (Stockbridge, Ga./Dutchtown HS), Wynston Tabbs (Suitland, Md./St. Mary's Ryken School HS), Amahrie Simpkins (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and Will Thomas (Baltimore, Md./Mervo HS) wrapped up their collegiate careers and graduated last spring. 
• Hobbs, a BOXTOROW HBCU First Team All-American, passed Jimmy Fields (139) to become No. 6 on Morgan State's all-time 3-point field goals leaderboard. He completed his career with 150 3-pointers.

WHO'S BACK
The Bears return three starters from last year's team, bringing back guard Rob Lawson and forward Trent Edwards. MSU also returns Christian Oliver, who was on the squad during the 2023-24 season.

WHO'S IN 
The Bears have added several newcomers to the 2025-26 roster: G Elijah Davis (Bowie State), G Alfred Worrell Jr. (Southern Mississippi), and G Christian Meeks (Waubonsee C.C.). Newcomers also include F  Eugene Alvin (Florida Southwestern) and F Manok Lual (Frostburg State), along with C Dallas James, a transfer from Indiana.

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 16.6 percent of its scoring, 18.7 percent of its rebounding, and 23.8 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Rob Lawson - .350), three-point percentage (Rob Lawson, .379), free throw percentage (Rob Lawson., .747), rebounding (Rob Lawson - 2.6 rpg), assists (Rob Lawson, 2.4), steals (Rob Lawson, 0.9), blocked shots (Trent Edwards, 1.0), and minutes played (Rob Lawson, 26.7).  Rob Lawson (23) is the only returner who has started in at least five (5) games a year ago.

HOME GROWN
Morgan State has five (5) players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Senior guard Rob Lawson is from Capitol Heights and played at National Christian Academy. Veteran guard Elijah Davis hails from Severn, Md., and played at Incarnate Word. Redshirt senior forward Jayden Socka is from Silver Spring, Md., and attended Springbrook HS. Graduate student guard Alfred Worrell Jr. and freshman David Bumpass are from Washington, D.C. Worrell went to Montgomery Blair HS, and Bumpass attended Friendship Tech Prep Academy.

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTION
Graduate student Walter Peggs Jr., a transfer from Spring Hill College, was named to the preseason All-MEAC Third Team.
• Peggs was a BOXTOROW Division II HBCU All-America First Team selection and became the first player in program history to earn two BOXTOROW HBCU All-America honors. He was also a SIAC First Team All-Conference pick and was named to the NABC Honors Court.
• At Spring Hill, Peggs became the program's Division II era career scoring leader with 1,137 points and set the two-year career scoring average record at 21.3 points per game. He started all 26 games last season, averaging a career-best 26.0 points and 35.6 minutes per game. Peggs totaled 676 points to set the program's Division II single-season scoring record, while adding 92 rebounds. He also set Division II era records with 99 made three-pointers and 151 made free throws. Peggs shot career highs of 48.2% (213-442) from the field, 42.1% (99-235) from three-point range, and 87.8% (151-172) from the free-throw line.

TABBED TO FINISH FOURTH
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason poll, announced by the conference today.
• The 2025-26 Bears earned 73 total points in the voting. Norfolk State claimed 12 first-place votes and 118 points total as the defending MEAC champions. Howard (97 pts) was selected second, followed by South Carolina State (90 pts) in third place. Delaware State (70 pts), North Carolina Central (70 pts), Maryland Eastern Shore (31 pts), and Coppin State (27 pts) rounded out the league's predicted order of finish.


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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.