Game 21
Opponent: Norfolk State Spartans (10-12, 4-2 MEAC)
Date: Monday, January 26, 2026
Site: Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall, Norfolk, Va.
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
Series Record: Norfolk State leads the series 49-19
TV: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: www.nsuspartans.com
Coaches: MSU -Kevin Broadus (89-107, 7th yr) • NSU – Robert Jones  (86-104, 7th yr)
Websites: www.morganstatebears.com | www.nsuspartans.com

SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State men's basketball team will look to add to the win column on Monday, Jan. 26, as the Bears travel to the Tidewater area to face the Norfolk State Spartans at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ESPN+. Morgan State enters the matchup with momentum after securing a 78–77 conference road victory over Howard on Saturday, while Norfolk State comes in riding a three-game winning streak following a 103–76 win over Coppin State on Saturday (Jan. 24).

• 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 Monday's matchup leading the Bears by averaging 16.1 points on 39 percent shooting from the field and 36 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 averaging 13.9 points per game while shooting 40 percent from the field, and heads into Monday night's matchup fresh off a career-high 24-point performance at Howard.

• 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 12.9 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.9 rebounds and is shooting 46 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 8.3 points and 1.9 rebounds.

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

SCOUTING NORFOLK STATE
• Head coach Robert Jones is in his 13th season leading the Norfolk State men's basketball program in 2025-26 and his 19th year overall with the Spartans. Over the course of his decorated career, Jones has racked up over 200 wins, secured three MEAC Tournament titles, and received three MEAC Coach of the Year awards.

• Coach Jones produced another exceptional season in 2024-25, sweeping the MEAC regular season and tournament titles to clinch an NCAA Tournament berth. The Spartans achieved the feat despite losing six letterwinners from the previous season.

• The Spartans were picked to finish first in the MEAC Preseason Poll, finished the regular season with a 24-11 overall record (11-3 MEAC), and beat South Carolina State in the conference tournament championship. Keyontae Lewis and Anthony McComb III both earned selection to the Preseason All-MEAC Third Team.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPARTANS
•  Jan. 24, 2026 - Norfolk State extended its winning streak to three games with a dominant 103-76 victory over Coppin State on Saturday inside Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall. Anthony McComb III led the Spartans with a career-high 29 points, shooting 10-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-11 from three-point range and 3-of-4 at the free throw line.

•  With the win, NSU improved to 10-12 overall and 3-2 in MEAC play.

NORFOLK STATE BY THE NUMBERS
• 72.8: NSU ranks No. 4 in the MEAC, limiting opponents to an average of 72.8 points per game.
• 76.4: The Spartans have the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the conference. 
• .466: On average, NSU is shooting 46.6 percent from the field (No. 1).
• 17.0: Anthony McComb III has been NSU's leading scorer (No. 2) this season and is shooting 42 percent from the field and 39 percent from three.

THE SERIES
• NSU leads the series 49-19.

• NSU's last win against Morgan State was on February 24, 2025 -- Five Spartans scored in double-figures in a 69-60 win against the Bears 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. Kameron Hobbs paced the Bears with a game-high 20 points (4-7 3FG) with five rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes.

• Morgan's last win against Norfolk State was January 13, 2025 -- 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 at Hill Field House.  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.

UP NEXT
|Morgan State returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 31, as the Bears travel for a conference crosstown showdown against the Coppin State Eagles at PEC  Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

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.

WORRELL HEATING UP
• Senior guard Alfred Worrell Jr. has been on a scoring tear over the last five games, erupting for 87 points (17.4 per game) while shooting an efficient 27-of-58 (.466) from the field and 18-of-43 (.420) from beyond the arc. 
• The hot stretch has helped Worrell climb to No. 4 in the MEAC in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game.
• Worrell, a Washington, D.C., product, has reached the 20-point mark six times this season, highlighted by a season-high 32-point explosion against Penn State Brandywine on Dec. 30, 2025. 


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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.