umes1
Nick Novy
49
Morgan St. Morgan 3-12,0-1 MEAC
66
Winner UMES UMES 5-13,1-0 MEAC
Morgan St. Morgan
3-12,0-1 MEAC
49
Final
66
UMES UMES
5-13,1-0 MEAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Morgan St. Morgan 30 19 49
UMES UMES 38 28 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | MSU Athletics Communications

Morgan State Men’s Basketball Drops MEAC Opener at UMES

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (Jan. 3, 2026) – Morgan State opened Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play on Saturday night with a 66–49 setback to Maryland Eastern Shore at the Hytche Center. Dorion Staples led all scorers with 16 points as the Hawks snapped a seven-game losing streak and improved to 5–13, while the Bears fell to 3–12 overall.

OPENING TIP
• Staples led  Hawks with a game-high 16 points, shooting 4-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc in 28 minutes.
• Joseph Locandro finished with 13 points and four rebounds, while Zion Obanla added 10 points, five boards, and two steals off the bench. Michael Teal chipped in nine points and five assists.
• Alfred Worrell Jr. paced the Bears with 15 points and had a team-high six rebounds.
• Rob Lawson added nine points with five assists and two rebounds.  Christian Meeks had seven points with five rebounds.  

THE DIFFERENCE
• Morgan State shot 33 percent (17-of-51) from the field and went 4-of-21 from three-point range. UMES shot 40 percent overall and shot 4-of-17 from deep.
• The Bears converted 69 percent (11-of-16) from the free-throw line, while the Hawks shot 66 percent (18-of-27).
• UMES out-rebounded the Bears by a 41-32 margin.
• The Hawks pulled in 12 offensive rebounds and scored 13 second-chance points.
• UMES outscored the Bears 36-14 inside the paint.
• The teams traded leads early before Alfred Worrell Jr. knocked down an uncontested corner 3-pointer to give the Bears a 10–6 edge. Worrell later connected on his second triple of the game to push Morgan State ahead 19–15.
• The Hawks answered behind Joseph Locandro's corner three, followed by a Zion Obanla fastbreak bucket and a Dorion Staples straight-away triple as part of a 7–0 surge to regain the lead, 25–21. Staples added a pair of free throws to cap a 9–1 run, extending the advantage to 27–21 as the Hawks began to seize momentum.
• Morgan State halted the run when Worrell hit a midrange jumper to trim the deficit to 27–24, and Rob Lawson followed with a pull-up jumper to make it a one-point game at 27–26. However, Michael Teal turned the corner for a layup and completed a three-point play after drawing Christian Oliver's third foul, pushing the Hawks ahead 36–30. A steal and dunk by Obanla in the closing seconds sent the Hawks into halftime with a 38–30 lead.
• The Hawks carried that momentum into the second half, opening on a 7–0 run to stretch the margin to 44–30. Staples banked in a three for the first points after the break, followed by a Cooper lob layup and a Locandro post-up basket to make it 45–30.
• Lawson scored in transition for the Bears' first basket of the half to cut it to 45–32, but foul trouble mounted for Morgan State. Elijah Davis was whistled for his fourth foul on an offensive charge in transition, and Oliver soon picked up his fourth as well, sending the Hawks to the free-throw line for the remainder of the half.
• The Hawks held a 13-point advantage with 12 minutes remaining before Alfred Worrell Jr. hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 46–37, snapping a cold stretch in which he had missed his previous five attempts from beyond the arc. Morgan State was able to stay within striking distance thanks in part to UMES struggling at the free-throw line.
• Walter Peggs Jr. was fouled on a 3-point attempt and converted all three free throws to pull the Bears to within eight, 52–44, with 7:55 remaining. The Hawks' Michael Teal responded with a basket to push the lead back to 56–46. Worrell answered with a 3-point play after being fouled on a three-pointer, and Lawson split a pair of free throws at the 3:37 mark to cut it to 56–49.
• The Hawks closed the game on a decisive 10–0 run, holding Morgan State scoreless over the final 3:41 to secure a 66–49 victory.

NEXT UP
The Bears will face South Carolina State in their conference home-opener on Saturday, Jan. 10, at Hill Field House.


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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.

 
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