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Game 4
Opponent: UMBC
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026
Site: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Md.
Game Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Series Record: UMBC leads the series 16-15
Live Stream: ESPN+ |
Live Stats: www.umbcretrievers.com
Coaches: MSU -
Kevin Broadus (99-109, 8th yr) • Jim Ferry 85-79 (6th)
Websites: www.morganstatebears.com | www.umbcretrievers.com
SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State men's basketball team (3-0) hits the road Thursday night looking to extend its season-opening winning streak when it takes on the UMBC Retrievers (1-2) in a nonconference matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, with live coverage available on ESPN+.
• Thursday's contest is part of the inaugural 410 Invitational powered by Under Armour, a planned multi-year event featuring men's and women's basketball programs from Morgan State, UMBC, Towson and Loyola. The event celebrates Baltimore-area college basketball while providing a competitive platform for the region's programs.
• Head coach Kevin Broadus and the Bears enter the matchup riding high after opening the season with three consecutive victories, including a 73-67 road win over Niagara on Saturday. Morgan State's 3-0 start marks its best season-opening stretch since the 2009-10 campaign, when the Bears went on to finish 26-10. The Bears will look to maintain their early-season momentum against a UMBC squad coming off a convincing 91-61 victory over McDaniel College on Monday night.
• Reigning MEAC Coach of the Year Kevin Broadus will lead the Bears into the upcoming season, with All-MEAC guard Alfred Worrell Jr. and newcomer point guard Keith Richard named to the conference's Preseason Watch List.
• Worrell Jr. emerged as Morgan State's leading scorer during the 2025-26 season, averaging 17.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 30 games, including 26 starts. He scored in double figures 23 times, with 13 performances of 20 or more points. Worrell shot 38.8% from the field, 36.3% from three-point range and a MEAC-best 88.5% from the free-throw line. He ranked fourth in the conference in scoring and second in three-point shooting percentage. He earned All-MEAC recognition and BOXTOROW All-American honors last season. He was also selected to the 2026 Black College Sports Page "Baad Team."
• Keith Richard, a 6-foot guard from Dallas, Texas, joins Morgan State from South Plains College, where he started 19 of 27 games. He averaged 10.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 25.5 minutes per game, shooting 41 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range. His addition provides the Bears with another backcourt option heading into a demanding 2026-27 campaign.
• Morgan State's biggest challenge is replacing the production and leadership of All-MEAC performer Elijah Davis, along with guards Rob Lawson and Walter Peggs Jr. The trio was instrumental in Morgan State's run to second place in the MEAC standings. Davis was one of the conference's top point guards, averaging 13.8 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game.
• The Bears will also compete in the inaugural 410 Invitational powered by Under Armour, a planned multi-year event featuring men's and women's basketball teams from Morgan State, UMBC, Towson, and Loyola. The men's competition begins Nov. 12, when Morgan State travels to UMBC.
SCOUTING UMBC
• Jim Ferry enters his sixth season at the helm of the UMBC men's basketball program. Ferry has guided the Retrievers to at least 18 wins in three of his five seasons, including his first 20-win campaign at UMBC in 2025-26. It marked the seventh 20-win season of his coaching career.
• UMBC posted a 24-9 overall record in 2025-26, tying for the second-most victories in program history. The Retrievers finished 14-2 in America East play and captured the conference championship before falling to Howard University in the NCAA First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
• The Retrievers were dominant at home last season, compiling a 15-2 record at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, affectionately known as "The 'Peake." UMBC went a perfect 8-0 in America East regular-season home games and added three more victories during the conference tournament. The 15 home wins tied a program record established during the 2007-08 season.
• Following its championship campaign, UMBC was selected to finish second in the 2026-27 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Retrievers feature multiple scoring options, with Riley Jacobs averaging 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while Aidan Able and Flash Burton are each contributing 10.3 points per contest. UMBC has four players averaging double figures.
• UMBC enters Thursday's contest averaging 75.0 points per game through its first three outings. The Retrievers are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game and demonstrated their perimeter shooting ability by knocking down 15 three-pointers in Monday's 91-61 victory over McDaniel College.
• The Retrievers enter the matchup with a 1-2 record after opening the season with losses to George Mason and Marist before bouncing back with a 30-point victory over McDaniel. The win provides UMBC with momentum heading into Thursday's regional matchup.
THE SERIES
• UMBC leads the series 16-15.
• Nov. 11, 2025 -- DJ Armstrong knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer in the final seconds to lift UMBC to an 81-79 victory over Morgan State on Tuesday night at Hill Field House. Elijah Davis led the Bears with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting, adding a game-best eight assists in 37 minutes of action. Alfred Worrell, held scoreless in the first half, erupted for 16 points in the second, connecting on 5-of-9 shots from beyond the arc.
• Morgan's last win against the Retrievers was Dec. 6, 2023, at Hill Field House. Redshirt senior guard Wynston Tabbs scored 22 of his game and career-high 38 points in the first half, while Will Thomas added 23 points off the bench, as Morgan State defeated UMBC. Tabbs connected on 13-of-21 from the floor, 6-of-10 from three, and was perfect from the free throw line (6-6) for the Bears. Redshirt junior Will Thomas scored a season-high 23 points while going 8-of-14 from the field, and added four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks in 27 minutes off the bench. Morgan shot .846 (22-26) from the free throw line, while the Retrievers finished 15-for-22 (.682) from the stripe.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
Nov. 7, 2026 -- Morgan State withstood a late rally by Niagara to secure a 73-67 victory over the Purple Eagles on Saturday night at the Gallagher Center. Keith Richard led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Alfred Worrell Jr. added 20 points and eight rebounds, while newcomer Oliver Spence contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in 21 minutes off the bench.
65 POINTS, OR FEWER
In his eighth season as Morgan's head coach, Broadus has guided the Bears to a 32-8 (.780) record when the Bears have held their opposition to 65 points or fewer. Morgan was 5-2 during the 2023-24 season (allowing 65 or fewer points), and was mirrored in 2022-23 with another 5-2 record. They went 4-0 in 2021-22, went 3-1 in 2020-21, and were 9-3 in 2019-20. The Bears are off to a 1-0 start this season.
TWO BEARS CAPTURE WEEKLY MEAC ACCOLADES
Morgan State men's basketball standouts Alfred Worrell Jr. and Ibrahima Traore have been recognized by the MEAC for their outstanding performances. Worrell averaged 22.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, helping Morgan State go 3-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign, when the Bears finished 26-10 overall. Traore, a newcomer to the Bears' frontcourt, made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor. Across Morgan State's first three games, the forward averaged 8.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocked shots per game.
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate, and certificate programs. 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.
