Morgan State Bears Set To End 2015 at Home Against UC Riverside on Monday

GAME 11: UC RIVERSIDE  (8-5, 0-0 Big West)
Monday, December 28, 2015 • 1:00 p.m. • Hill Field House • Baltimore, Md.
Live Video Stream: n/a
Radio: WEAA, 88.9 FM (weaa.org)
Series Record: UC Riverside leads 1-0
Head Coaches: MSU - Todd Bozeman (152-148, 10th yr) • UCR Dennis Cutts (32-43, 4th)
Website: MSU - www.morganstatebears.com; www.gohighlanders.com

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BEARS SET TO END 2015 AT HOME AGAINST UC RIVERSIDE ON MONDAY
The Morgan State Bears will wrap a three-game homestand Monday, December 28 when they host the UC Riverside Highlanders. UCR will enter the contest riding a 3-game winning streak, while the Bears will attempt to snap a 5-game losing streak. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m at Hill Field House.
 
PREVIEWING THE HIGHLANDERS
• UC Riverside returns four starters and seven letterwinners from its 2014-15 squad that went 14-17, and went 7-9 and placed fifth in Big West Conference play.
• Dennis Cutts (State University of New York at Albany, '90) enters his 4th season as the Highlanders' head men's basketball coach. He currently holds a 32-43 record.
• UC Riverside was picked 5th in the 2015-16 Big West Preseason Poll.
• UC Riverside is looking to finish in the upper echelon of the conference behind senior standouts Taylor Johns and Jaylen Bland.  Johns was named All-Big West First Team after finishing in the conference's top three in scoring and rebounding, while Bland was tabbed the 2014-15 Big West Newcomer of the Year as he led the league with 95 three-pointers. 
• Senior Jaylan Bland is currently leading the Highlanders by averaging 17.2 points per game on 40 percent shooting from the field and has also connected on 48-of-118 (.404) from 3-point territory. Taylor Johns (15.8 ppg) and Secean (10.8 ppg) are also averaging double-figures.
• UC Riverside is shooting 44 percent from the floor as a team and has connected on 110-of-297 (.370) 3-pointers.
• UC Riverside used a 12-0 run to open the second half, turning a three-point lead into a 15-point advantage en route to a 63-54 victory over visiting Denver Tuesday. Taylor Johns, who was held without a shot in the first half, scored eight points in the run, finishing with 14. Jaylen Bland scored 14 of the Highlanders 29 first-half points, and finished with a game-high 20.
 
THE SERIES
• Monday night will mark the second meeting between the teams.
• Dec. 31, 2014 - Taylor Johns scored 31 points and pulled down 13 rebounds as UC Riverside had to fight off a determined Morgan State for a 68-63 win. Morgan State (2-12), which last won when it beat UC Irvine 63-62 on December 16, scored 11 unanswered points to start the game. A jumper by Donte Pretlow gave the Bears a 26-9 lead at the 7:57 mark, its largest lead of the night.  They were up 37-24 at the half. UC Riverside opened the second half with a 16-7 run to close to 44-40. The Highlanders then chipped away at the lead until Steven Thornton's two free throws gave them their first lead 59-57 with 3:41 left. Johns drove in for a layup with 17 seconds remaining to secure the win. Jaylen Bland hit 4 of 7 from beyond the arc to total 18 points and Thornton chipped in 12 for UC Riverside (7-5). Blake Bozeman had 13 and Cedric Blossom andTorin Childs-Harris added 11 apiece for Morgan State. Zech Smith came up just shy of a double-double by posting nine points and nine rebounds to go along with three blocked shots. 
 
NEXT UP
Morgan State will travel west to wrap the non-conference slate when they face Bakersfield on Thursday, Dec. 31. The Bears will bring in the New Year at CSU Northridge on Saturday,  Jan. 2
 
AT THE HELM
Todd Bozeman enters his 10th year at the helm as Morgan State men's head coach. The Bears have participated in six of the last nine MEAC Tournament championships, captured back-to-back-MEAC Titles, and made appearances in the NIT and two NCAA Tournaments.
 
BEWARE THE BEAR
Under the direction of Todd Bozeman, Morgan State has collected a couple of memorable wins against big-time opponents. The Bears have recorded historic wins against: Long Island (2009); Manhattan (2009); Arkansas (2009); DePaul (2008); and Maryland (2009).
 
HOME GROWN 
Morgan State has five (5) players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area, including two from Baltimore. Senior Donte Pretlow (Dunbar High) and redshirt junior Cliff Cornish (North County) are both from Baltimore. Senior Cedric Blossom (Montrose Christian) is from Columbia and senior Andrew Hampton is from Germantown (Seneca Valley), while freshman Anthony Tate (Takoma Academy) is from Fort Washington.
 
COMFORTABLE AT HILL FIELD HOUSE 
Todd Bozeman has won at least 10 home games in three of his eight seasons in Baltimore. The 2007-08 (12-1) and 2009-10 (11-1) squads finished with just a single loss, while the 2010-11 squad went 10-2. Bozeman has led the Bears to a 72-32 (.692) overall home record at Hill Field House.

COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS