Morgan State University’s men’s basketball team successfully bounced back from a tough loss on Saturday, taking care of business against the North Carolina Central Eagles, 71-64, on Jan. 23 at Hill Field House in Baltimore, Md. The Bears had fallen to North Carolina A&T, 62-61, on Saturday, Jan. 21, but the win over N.C. Central erased the pain as Morgan improved to 4-12 overall, 2-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
The Bears leaned on senior guard Larry Bastfield, who scored a team-high 20 points. The Baltimore native made 7-of-14 shots from the field to earn his second straight game with double digits in points; he had scored 15 points against A&T on Jan. 21.
“I thought Larry did a good job,” Bears head coach Todd Bozeman said. “He was aggressive and attacking, and that’s what you have to do, although I didn’t like his turnovers (8 turnovers), but I did like the fact that he was aggressive with the ball.”
Bears senior forward Kevin Thompson also played well, scoring 13 points with five rebounds and three blocked shots; teammate Amir Ali also scored double digits with 11 points.
N.C. Central kept the score tight throughout most of the contest, but the Bears were able to break away with a comfortable lead late in the game. The Eagles failed to score a single point for nearly seven minutes in the second half, which allowed MSU to pull away with the win.
“Obviously it’s good to get a win,” Bozeman said. “I thought they were a tough team, tenacious, and they junked the game up by trapping all over the place, so that means you really have to focus in, and the guys responded.”
Morgan State will face another MEAC opponent on Jan. 28 with a match against Norfolk State in Norfolk, Va.
