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Game 24
Opponent: North Carolina Central Eagles (9-14, 5-3 MEAC)
Date: Monday, February 16, 2026
Site: McDougald-Mclendon Arena, Durham, N.C.
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Series Record: NCCU leads the series 57-45
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.nccueaglepride.com
Coaches: MSU -Kevin Broadus (92-107, 7th yr) • NCCU – Levelle Moton (286-230, 17th yr)
Websites: www.morganstatebears.com | ww.nccueaglepride.com

SETTING THE STAGE
•  Morgan State men's basketball returns to action Monday night for a key MEAC matchup against North Carolina Central, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. The Bears enter riding a six-game winning streak after a 79–71 home victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Feb. 7. NCCU will look to rebound from a 58–56 home loss against Coppin State on Saturday.
• 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 N.C. CENTRAL
• On March 25, 2009, Levelle Moton, arguably one of the greatest players in school history, was elevated from Assistant Coach to the position of Head Coach, becoming the 17th to be named in that spot in the program's history. During the 2023-24 season, Moton became the all-time winningest coach in the history of NCCU men's basketball. He earned his 252nd victory on December 15, 2023, at home against St. Andrews University, passing Floyd Brown.

• NCCU was picked to finish fifth in the league, tied with Delaware State, and senior guard Dionte Johnson was named the MEAC Preseason Second Team. The Eagles finished last season with a 14-19 record, went 6-8 in conference play, and lost to South Carolina State, 88-67, in the MEAC Tournament Semifinals game.

• NCCU sophomore guard Gage Lattimore is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, and is shooting 39 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point territory. Senior 6-9 forward Khouri Carvey is averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, and redshirt senior guard Jae Slack is adding 8.7 points.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE EAGLES
• February 14, 2026 -   The North Carolina Central men's basketball team fell 58-56 against Coppin State on Saturday evening at McDougald-McLendon Arena.

• Gage Lattimore led all scorers with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double for NC Central. 

• NC Central shot 42.4 percent from the field in the first half, led in scoring by Kyric Davis, Dionte Johnson, and Kelechi Okworogwo, who started in place of Khouri Carvey. 

NCCU BY THE NUMBERS
• 72.2: NCCU ranks No. 3 in the MEAC in scoring.

• 72.5: NCCU is currently ranked No. 3 in FT%.

• 17.5: Gage Lattimore leads the MEAC in scoring.

• 6.3: Khouri Carvey ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in rebounding.

• 5.9: Dionte Johnson leads the MEAC in assists.

• 32.2: The Eagles rank No. 6 in combined rebounds.

THE SERIES
• NCCU leads the series 57-45.

• NCCU's last win against Morgan was on February 12, 2026 -- Morgan State senior guard Alfred Worrell Jr. poured in a game-high 29 points, but the Bears fell to North Carolina Central, 89–78, in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) action Monday night at Hill Field House. North Carolina Central placed four players in double figures, led by Khouri Carvey's 21 points.

• Morgan's last win against NCCU was on February 17, 2025 -- Morgan State rallied against North Carolina Central, overcoming a 13-point deficit to secure a dominant 92-78 victory. The Bears' offensive firepower was on full display, spearheaded by the dynamic duo of Kameron Hobbs and Will Thomas, who combined for an impressive 47 points to take down the Eagles inside McDougald-McLendon Arena. The only other Bear to score double figures. Hobbs led the Bears with a game-high 24 points, while Thomas added 23 points in 23 minutes.

UP NEXT
Morgan State returns to action on  Saturday, February 21, as the Bears host Delaware State in a pivotal conference showdown at Hill Field House in Baltimore, Maryland. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.

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.