2011-12 MORGAN STATE BASKETBALL
Game 27
Monday, February 27, 2012 – 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Morgan State (7-19, 4-10 MEAC) at Delaware State (14-12, 11-3 MEAC)
Dover, Del. – Memorial Hall
Radio: N/A

BEAR FACTS
Head Coach: Todd Bozeman
Alma Mater/Year: Rhode Island/1986
Record at MSU/Year: 108-82/6th
Career Record: 143-144  
Basketball SID:  Leonard L. Haynes IV

GAME TIME
•   Morgan State will face the Delaware State Hornets in a rematch on Monday, Feb. 27 set to tip at 7:30 p.m. MSU will attempt to bounce back its 58-57 loss Saturday at MD-Eastern Shore. Delaware State will look to build upon a 63-46 home victory against Howard.

BEAR BITS
• MSU’s 91 points against the Eagles were the most points the Bears have scored this season, and also the most points scored by the Bears since defeating Florida A&M 94-68 on Feb. 7, 2010.

• The Bears had four players score in double-figures during their one-point loss at UMES. Aric Brooks and Ian Chiles scored 11 points apiece and Kevin Thompson added 10 and Ameer Ali recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

• Freshman guard Jeremy Canty had a season-high 12 points during the Bears win at Coppin State.

• MSU will look to improve upon a 3-10 road record.

• At UMES, MSU struggled from the free throw line the entire game as they shot just 2 of 19 (47 percent) from the free throw line and was just 2 of 19 (10 percent) from 3-point territory.

• The Bears have used seven (8) different starting lineups in their first 26 games.

• Kevin Thompson has scored in double-digits in 15 of 26 games, and has posted six double-doubles (pts & rebs) so far this season.

• Redshirt sophomore Ian Chiles (7-foot-2) is the first 7-footer since MSU legend Marvin Webster to grace the campus of Morgan State University … Chiles, a Cliffside Park, N.J. product, is currently averaging 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks so far this season.

• The Bears completed the 2010-11 season with a 17-14 mark and posted a 10-6 conference record.

• Morgan State was selected to win the MEAC Regular Season Title, edging out last year’s MEAC Tournament Champion Hampton. The Bears received eight (8) first place votes and a totaled 616 points to take hold of the conference’s top spot going into the season.

BEARS BID FAREWELL TO FOUR SENIORS
• The Morgan State men’s basketball program recognized four seniors who have helped accumulate several lofty achievements during their tenures. PG Larry Bastfield, G/F Aric Brooks, F Ameer Ali and F/C Kevin Thompson will be playing in their final season.

JACKSON RETURNS TO THEFTY WAYS
Nearly all of DeWayne Jackson’s numbers improved this season from last season, with one notable: Steals. Through his first 25 games, Jackson is averaging 1.8 steals per game (No. 5 in the MEAC), up from 1.4 during the 2010-11. He has recorded 118 thefts in his career and collected a career-high 5 steals in the Bears win against Liberty in a Sears Bracketbusters matchup.

A BEARS WIN WOULD…
•  Give the Bears a 5-10 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

•  Give Todd Bozeman his 109th victory as MSU’s head coach.

• Give the Bears its third road victory of the season and its second conference road win.

• Give the Bears its 48th win against Delaware State.

THE SERIES VS. THE HORNETS
• Monday night’s game will be the 88th meeting between Morgan State and DSU in men’s basketball. The Bears hold a 47- 40 advantage in the series

•  MSU has won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Hornets.

•  MSU’s last time at Memorial Hall – Delaware State defeated the Bears on Jan. 22, 2010. Jay Threat hit two free throws and Casey Walker drained a 3-pointer in the final moments to help Delaware State snap the Bears’ 3-game winning streak with a 70-65 victory Saturday night before a packed crowd at Memorial Hall. Justin Black led the Bears with 14.

NOTE ON THE HORNETS
•  DSU has won its last two games, including nine of its last 10 … the one defeat was a 57-56 non-conference loss at Gardner-Webb in a Sears Bracketbusters matchup.

•  Junior guard Tahj Tate (Hyattsville, Md.) is among the conference leaders in the scoring department. Tate ranks as the No. 5 leading scorer by averaging 16.1 points per game and is shooting 77.1 percent from the free throw line (No. 7 in MEAC).

•  DSU is the league leaders in blocked shots by averaging 6.8 blocks per contest. The Hornets also rank No. 2 in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.351) and No. 6 in field goal percentage (.425).

•  The Hornets are 4-7 in road games so far this season, but has gone 4-7 in home contests.

WELCOME TO MY BLOCK PARTY
Morgan State currently ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in blocked shots by averaging 4.6 blocks per game.

LOOKING AHEAD
MSU will travel to Tallahassee (Fla.) to take on Florida A&M on Thursday, March 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

2011-12 MORGAN STATE BASKETBALL
Game 22
Saturday, February 11, 2012 – 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Morgan State (5-16, 3-7 MEAC) vs. MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (5-17, 2-7 MEAC)
Baltimore, Md. – Hill Field House

BEAR FACTS
Head Coach: Todd Bozeman
Alma Mater/Year: Rhode Island/1986
Record at MSU/Year: 106-79/6th
Career Record: 141-141  
Basketball SID:  Leonard L. Haynes IV

GAME TIME
• Morgan State will face the MD-Eastern Shore on Saturday, Feb. 11 in a conference matchup set to tip at 4 p.m. MSU will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak when the Hawks come to Hill Field House. UMES will attempt to rebound from a 72-60 home loss against Norfolk State on Monday. Hillary Haley led the Hawks with 24 points and Ronald Spencer had 11 rebounds.

BEAR BITS
• MSU has won nine straight games against the Hawks since 2006.

• DeWayne Jackson scored a team-high 10 points in just 10 minutes of action, but the Bears lost their shooting touch in the second half. Morgan State made only three field goals out of 20 attempts in the last 20 minutes and Howard pulled away late in a 54-46 victory over the Bears Monday night at Hill Field House.

• Morgan State will enter Saturday night’s contest having lost four straight, including five of its last six games.

• MSU will look to improve upon a 3-5 home record.

• Kevin Thompson has scored in double-digits in 14 of 21 games, and has posted six double-doubles (pts & rebs) so far this season.

• Senior point guard Larry Bastfield is the only Bear to have started in every game (31) last season…currently he has started in 52 straight games.

• Junior swingman DeWayne Jackson currently leads the team by averaging 13.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg, including a career-high 33 points against Norfolk State on Jan. 14th.

• Redshirt sophomore Ian Chiles (7-foot-2) is the first 7-footer since MSU legend Marvin Webster to grace the campus of Morgan State University … Chiles, a Cliffside Park, N.J. product, is currently averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks so far this season.

• The Bears completed the 2010-11 season with a 17-14 mark and posted a 10-6 conference record.

• Morgan State was selected to win the MEAC Regular Season Title, edging out last year’s MEAC Tournament Champion Hampton. The Bears received eight (8) first place votes and a totaled 616 points to take hold of the conference’s top spot going into the season.

HOME COURT
During the Bozeman era the Bears have gone 46-13 (.779) home record inside the confines of Hill Field House, including a loss against Coppin State on Feb. 4.

A BEARS WIN WOULD…
•  Give the Bears a 4-7 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

•  Give Todd Bozeman his 107th victory as MSU’s head coach.

•   Give the Bears its fourth home victory of the season.

•   Give the Bears its 10th straight victory against MD-Eastern Shore

CARD CARRYING MEMBER OF THE 1,000 PT CLUB
•  DeWayne Jackson eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his career as a result of pouring in a career-high 33 points against Norfolk State on Jan. 14. With 1,099 points, Jackson is currently ranked No. 19 leading scorer in MSU history.

THE SERIES VS. THE HAWKS
•  Saturday night’s game will be the 80th meeting between Morgan State and UMES in men’s basketball. The Bears hold a 49-30 advantage in the series.

•  Last time vs. UMES (Feb. 22, 2011): DeWayne Jackson scored 16 points and Kevin Thompson scored 13 to help lead the Bears to a 71-54 win against MD-Eastern Shore in an ESPNU televised game at Hill Field House. The Bears were 21 of 57 (44.7 percent) from the field, including a 4-for-6 performance from Thompson, who posted his 10th double-double of the season by scoring 13 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Rodney Stokes added 14 points and posted nine rebounds, while Tola Lawal chipped in 13 points.

•  The last time UMES defeated the Bears was on Jan. 28, 2006. The Morgan State men’s basketball team came into the game looking to avoid 18 consecutive losses on the season which would result in a school record, but this failed to happen as the Bears fell 76-67 in a close game at home. Joseph McLean led the Bears with a career-high 23.

NOTE ON THE HAWKS
•  UMES has lost five of its last six games, including nine of its last 11 … the Hawks’ last win was at home against Howard where they ran away with a 78-65 victory.

•  Junior guard Percy Woods (Hyattsville, Md.) is UMES’ leader in the scoring department. Woods is currently averaging 10.4 points per game ranks No. 11 in the MEAC in assists (3.1/g).

•  UMES is among the league leaders in rebounding. The Hawks rank No. 5 in the league in rebounding margin (-0.6) and No. 6 in rebounding defense (35.5/g).

LOOKING AHEAD
MSU will face the Delaware State Hornets at Hill Field House on Monday, February 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Honorable Mention: Women’s College Basketball-Miami @ Maryland (Sunday 2:30pm from Comcast Center live on ESPN2); High School Basketball: Dulaney @ Perry Hall (Wednesday 6:30pm), Towson @ Perry Hall (Friday 7pm); Baltimore Ravens Regional Scouting Combine (Saturday 1 Winning Drive Owings Mills)

10. Anthrax/Testament (Tuesday 7pm Rams Head Live), Black Stone Cherry/Cavo (Thursday 6:30pm Rams Head Live), Umphrey’s McGee (Sunday 7pm Rams Head Live); Wayne Static (Wednesday 6pm Recher Theatre); Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Presents the Rolling Stones’ album Sticky Fingers in it’s entirety (Friday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club), The Darkness (Wednesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Jack’s Mannequin (Friday & Saturday 6:30pm 9:30 Club); Eric Benet (Tuesday & Wednesday 7:30pm Birchmere); The Fray “Scars and Stories” and Van Halen “A Different Kind of Truth” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

I probably enjoy Cavo a little bit more than I’m willing to admit publicly…

I both enjoy Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe…

AND I enjoy the Rolling Stones’ album Sticky Fingers. So I’ve got that going for me…

I really don’t care…at all…what you think. The new song by The Fray is freaking awesome.

9. Mike Epps (Friday 7:30pm & 10pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Nick Cannon (Thursday-Sunday Baltimore Comedy Factory), Alonzo Bodden (Monday 8pm Baltimore Comedy Factory); “Safe House” opens in theaters (Friday); “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” available on DVD/Blu-Ray (Tuesday); Wanda Sykes (Friday 8pm Strathmore); Motor Trend International Auto Show (Thursday-Sunday Baltimore Convention Center); Sex at the Zoo (Thursday 6pm Maryland Zoo in Baltimore); Wishful Drinking feat. Carrie Fisher (Tuesday-Sunday France Merrick Performing Arts Center-Hippodrome)

This is a bizarre combination of events for sure. Me personally, I’d watch Denzel Washington act his way out of a cardboard box, so I’m excited for Safe House.  Of course, there’s no way humanly possible it’s as good as Training Day (language NSFW)…

I don’t know if Eli Manning would be willing to donate his new car to the event at the Convention Center this weekend, but I’d certainly appreciate the opportunity to drool over the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Centennial Edition…

NORFOLK, Va. – Coppin State senior Tony Gallo earned his second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Week award this season as he shared the award with Ray Willis of North Carolina Central the league announced on Monday.

Gallo was instrumental in leading the Eagles to victories at Norfolk State and at Morgan State.

He averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in the two Coppin State wins. He also shot 52.4 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent from the three-point line and 83.3 percent from the free throw line.

He scored 16 points and had three rebounds in Coppin State’s 87-82 win at Norfolk State and then scored a career-high 28 points in the Eagles 88-86 victory at Morgan State.

It marked the third career MEAC Player of the Week honor for Gallo.

Tyshawn Bell of Delaware State was named the Rookie of the Week, while Dominique Sutton of North Carolina Central was named the Defensive Player of the Week.

About Sears BracketBusters
The Sears BracketBusters concept, named because of the success of participating teams from these conferences in NCAA Championship play through the years, provides programs with an opportunity to play top non-conference opponents roughly three weeks before Selection Sunday. Each conference selects its participating teams before the season, and the matchups for the event are determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences. Sears 

Honorable Mention: Golf-PGA Tour Franklin Templeton Shootout (Friday 3pm live on Golf Channel Saturday 2:30 Sunday 3pm live on NBC. All golf from Naples, FL); Bowling: PBA World Championship (Sunday 1pm from Las Vegas live on ESPN); Women’s College Basketball: Delaware State @ Maryland (Thursday 7pm Comcast Center), Maryland @ George Mason (Sunday 2pm Patriot Center); High School Basketball: Mt. St. Joseph @ Archbishop Spalding (Sunday 3:30pm); St. Frances @ Mount Carmel (Tuesday 7pm), St. Frances @ McDonogh (Friday 7pm)

10. Corey Taylor (Saturday 7pm Baltimore Soundstage); WMZQ Winter Fest feat. Rodney Adkins, Kellie Pickler, Thompson Square (Saturday 5:30pm Patriot Center); Robert Cray Band (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Emerson Hart (Wednesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Duncan Sheik (Sunday 12:30pm Rams Head on Stage); Wiz Khalifa/Snoop Dogg (Wednesday 11pm 9:30 Club), City and Colour (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); America (Tuesday 7:30pm Birchmere), Jars of Clay (Thursday 7:30pm Birchmere); Anthony Hamilton/Chrisette Michelle (Thursday 7:30pm Meyerhoff Symphony Hall); The Black Keys “El Camino”, Amy Winehouse “Lioness: Hidden Treasures”, The Roots “Undun”, Chevelle “Hats Off To The Bull” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

Corey Taylor is from the band Slipknot. Since I don’t know even a single song by the band Slipknot, I suggest you might know him this way…

Emerson Hart is from the band Tonic. I’m such a fan.

If you’re not listening to Anthony Hamilton, you should be listening to Anthony Hamilton…

Chevelle is one of the few bands on the face of the planet that I will spend money on EVERY time they drop a record. Just…solid.

9. “Diner” 30th Anniversary Celebration (Saturday 8pm Shriver Hall Johns Hopkins); Gilbert Gottfried (Thursday 8pm Magooby’s Joke House); Alonzo Bodden (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); “The Sitter” out in theaters (Friday); “The Hangover Part II” available on DVD/Blu-Ray (Tuesday)

In honor of the Diner anniversary, I think I’m headed to Blue Moon Cafe.

I mean, is there ANY possible better way to celebrate than a trip Fells Point for some Captain Crunch French Toast???

On and since we’re here, The Hangover Part II wasn’t great. But it did spur Mike Tyson’s singing career, and I think the whole world can say thank you for that…