Thompson Dominates In Win Over Bethune-Cookman
Kevin Thompson came off the bench and scored a game-high 22 points to help Morgan State defeat Bethune-Cookman, 61-48 in the semifinals of the MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Joel Coliseum.
The No. 4 Bears (17-13) advance to Saturday's championship which will take place at 2 p.m. live on ESPN2. They will play the winner of the Hampton -Norfolk State semifinal match.
The Bears, who advance to the tournament final for the fourth straight season, got off to a good start, getting nine points from Thompson and seven from Larry Bastfield. Morgan State shot 57-percent from the field during the first stanza.
The top seeded Wildcats (21-12) were led by MEAC Player of the Year CJ Reed who scored seven points and Garrius Holloman who tallied six as they trailed 31-27.
In the second half, Thompson connected on six of eight from the field and 13 points in the second half.
When Bethune-Cookman attempted to double Thompson he kicked the ball out to create open shots for Bastfield and DeWayne Jackson, who combined for 16 second half points. The result was a 54-percent shooting performance from the field for the game.
"We came out in the second half making an effort to throw the ball into Kevin and it really opened up things for the guards and our perimeter players," said Bastfield.
Bethune-Cookman made strong efforts to get close in the second half, but each time Thompson would rebuff them with a key basket, a rebound or a blocked shot.
Equally important in the victory was the Morgan State defense which kept Reed in check. The 6-3 junior came into the game averaging 19 points per game, but Jackson, the Bears' defensive stopper, was mainly responsible for Reed missing 13-of-17, including 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.
"I feel he is our best defender," said Morgan State head coach Todd Bozeman. "He doesn't always show it because of his maturity and tendency to get into foul trouble. You have to control Reed; he's the player of the year. You have to give him that kind of respect."
Added Reed, "What Jackson did was wear him down. That's when the other guys have to be able to take advantage of the situation. I thought he (Reed) took too many threes, but he had seven assists."
In addition to his 15 points, Bastfield dealt out five assists in 36 minutes of play.
Reed finished with 13 and seven assists and Starling with 12 points.
Jackson, a first team All-MEAC selection, finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
Hampton Advances to MEAC Tournament Final With 85-61 Win Over Norfolk State
Winston-Salem, NC-March 11-Kwame Morgan scored a game-high 30 points and Darrion Pellum added 18 but it was the suffocating team defense that proved to be the difference as Hampton pulled out an 85-61 win over Norfolk State in the semifinals of the MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Joel Coliseum.
The No. 2 Pirates (23-8) will take on the Bears of Morgan State in the championship game on Saturday at 2 pm. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
The No. 6 Spartans (12-20) got the upper hand early and held an eight-point lead before the Pirates mounted a late rally just before the half to take a 37-33 lead .
"I thought we started the game with a little nervous energy which had worked for us the day before, but it worked against us this time," said Hampton head coach Ed Joyner, Jr. "We settled down and right there near the half, we went on that run that enabled us to catch up. At that point, our confidence picked up and we began to play our style and dictate tempo."
The Pirates, who are ranked nationally in scoring defense, shut down the Spartans, holding them to 33 percent (10-of- 30) shooting in the second half. During one stretch, Norfolk State went without a field goal for over six minutes.
"Hampton played a great game," complimented Norfolk State head coach Anthony Evans. "Our guys played hard. We played hard for three games. We just ran out of gas."
Forward Danny Agbelese complemented the scoring of Morgan and Pellum and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Kyle O'Quinn, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks.
The Pirates and the Bears met during the season and Morgan State prevailed 78-72 in Baltimore, Md. This will be Joyner's first championship game as a head coach.
"This is my first championship as a head coach and them as players," said Joyner. "Being in my hometown adds to how special it is if we are able to win."