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Game 24
Opponent: South Carolina State (6-17, 4-3 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026
Site: Smith-Middleton-Hamilton Memorial Center, Orangeburg, S.C.
Game Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Series Record: SCSU leads the series 48-44
TV: n/a
Live Stats: www.scsuathletics.com
Coaches: MSU -Kevin Broadus (92-107, 7th yr) • SCSU – Erik Martin (45-74, 4th yr)
Websites: www.morganstatebears.com | www.scsuathletics.com

SETTING THE STAGE
•  Morgan State men's basketball returns to action Saturday afternoon for a key MEAC matchup against South Carolina State, with tip-off set for 4:30 p.m. The Bears enter riding a six-game winning streak after a 79–71 home victory over Maryland Eastern Shore last Saturday. SCSU will look to bounce back from an 85–57 road loss at Howard on Feb. 8 and avenge a 72–67 setback to Morgan State on Jan. 10 in Baltimore.
• Senior guard Alfred Worrell Jr. appeared in 32 games as a junior at Southern Mississippi last season, averaging 6.5 points and 1.6 rebounds. Now a key piece for the Bears, he enters Saturday's matchup as the team's leading scorer at 17.5 points per game, shooting 40 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc. Worrell heads into the contest fresh off a game-high 24-point performance against Maryland Eastern Shore.
• 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 13.3 points per game while shooting 38 percent 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 13.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.2 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 1.8 rebounds, and is shooting 34 percent from three.
 

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
• Erik Martin is in his fourth season as head coach of the South Carolina State men's basketball program. Martin, one of the top assistant coaches in Division I basketball, has over 20 years of coaching experience, including 18 years at the Division I level. He most recently served 16 seasons as an assistant coach under legendary and Hall of Fame coach Bob Huggins at West Virginia.

•  SCSU was picked to finish third in the league, and sophomore guard Jayden Johnson was named the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. The Bulldogs finished last season with a 20-13 record, went 11-3 in conference play, and lost to Norfolk State, 66-65, in the MEAC Tournament Championship game.

• The Bulldogs have been led by 6-1 sophomore guard Jayden Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who is currently averaging 13.3 points per game. Point guard Mitchell Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.) is averaging 8.5 points per game, while junior 6-1 guard Michael Teal (Alexandria, Va.) is averaging 8.3 points and 2.0 rebounds. Senior guard Omar Croskey (Sumter, S.C.) is adding 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. Junior 6-6 forward Davion Everett (Columbia, S.C.) leads the Bulldogs on the glass by averaging 6.2 boards per game.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BULLDOGS
• Feb. 7, 2026 -- South Carolina State dropped a tough MEAC road contest versus Howard Saturday inside Burr Gymnasium.

• South Carolina State (6-17, 4-3 MEAC) struggled offensively, shooting just 32.8 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from 3-point range. Jayden Johnson led the Bulldogs with 11 points, while Noah Treadwell added 13 on four 3-pointers. Jamal Miles chipped in eight points and five rebounds off the bench.

• The Bison led 36-24 at halftime and pulled away behind efficient shooting and consistent trips to the free-throw line, where they converted 28 of 36 attempts.

SCSU BY THE NUMBERS
• .337: SCSU ranks No. 1 in the MEAC in 3-point FG%.

• 65.2: SCSU is currently ranked No. 6 in scoring.

• 13.3: The Bulldogs have been led by Jayden Johnson, who is averaging 13.3 points (ranks No. 8 in the MEAC).

• 5.3: Christopher Parker leads SCSU on the boards (ranks No. 6).

• 80.6: On average, SCSU is giving up over 80 points per contest to opponents (ranks No. 7).

THE SERIES
• SCSU leads the series 48-44. 

• SCSU has won four of the last five meetings in the series.

• SCSU's last win against Morgan was on February 15, 2025 -- South Carolina State ran away with a 90-62 victory Saturday night against Morgan State in front of an electric crowd at Smith-Hamilton-Middleton Memorial Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina.  Omar Croskey scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs. Jayden Johnson contributed 14 points (5-10 FG) with three assists.

• Morgan's last win against SCSU was on January 10, 2026 -- Morgan State broke into the MEAC win column, securing a hard-fought 72–67 victory over South Carolina State inside Hill Field House. The Bears placed four players in double figures, led by Elijah Davis' 18 points. Rob Lawson finished with 17 points, with four assists and three rebounds, while Alfred Worrell Jr. added 14 points, four boards, and a blocked shot. Christian Meeks chipped in 10 points and three rebounds.

UP NEXT
Morgan State returns to MEAC play on Monday, Jan. 16, as the Bears head to Durham to face North Carolina Central at McDougald-McLendon Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+.

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.

HARRIS CLAIMS 2ND MEAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Marland Harris earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week, following his previous recognition on Feb. 2. He becomes the first Bear to receive multiple weekly defensive awards in a single season since Daniel Akitoby, who earned the honor three times during the 2024–25 campaign.
• The senior from Inglewood, Calif., turned in a dominant all-around performance in Morgan State's 79–71 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday. Harris posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 7-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. He also added four blocked shots and one steal while logging 35 minutes.
• Over his last five games, Harris has been a force on both ends, averaging 9.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game.

SIX IN A ROW — BEARS AIM TO MATCH HISTORIC SEVEN-GAME RUN
The last time the Morgan State men's basketball team put together a seven-game winning streak was during the 2012–13 season. That run began with a 75–68 BracketBusters victory at High Point on Feb. 23, 2013, and continued through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference slate before ending in a 57–54 loss to No. 7 seed North Carolina A&T in the MEAC Tournament Championship game at the Norfolk Scope on March 16, 2013.

 

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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.