Top-seeded Morgan State crushes FAMU in MEAC

Morgan State used three big offensive runs, a decided edge in rebounding and a solid effort from point guard Jermaine "Itchy" Bolden to race past Florida A&M 71-41 in a quarterfinal-round game of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament at Joel Coliseum last night. The top-seeded Bears opened the game with a 13-2 run, then posted a 15-0 stretch, which started at the end of the first half, to build a 44-22 lead with 16 minutes remaining.

The Bears held a 52-32 rebounding edge and outscored the Rattlers 26-14 in the paint.
Bolden, a 5-9 senior, finished with 12 points, six assists, six rebounds and two steals for Morgan State (21-11). The Rattlers pulled to 46-31 with a 6-0 run, but Morgan State came right back with a 13-0 burst that delivered the knockout blow in the rout. "Basketball is a game of runs, so it's who makes the most, the longest or the last (run)," Coach Todd Bozeman of Morgan State said. "We wanted to continue to keep playing and I kept telling the guys in timeouts, ‘Do not play the score.' We don't play that way; you want to keep playing the game."

The Bears will face the Coppin State-N.C. A&T winner in a semifinal-round game on Friday at 6 p.m. Reggie Holmes, a 6-4 junior and the Bears' leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, had a game-high 18 points and added nine rebounds, while teammate Marquise Kately chipped in with 10 points. Florida A&M, the tournament's No. 8 seed, finished the season 10-21, and had no players in double-figures scoring. The Rattlers shot a dismal 24.5 percent from the field and made only 12 field goals.

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Photo Gallery: Bears/Rattler Shots
Boxscore

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