The Morgan State Bears tipped off the 2024-25 campaign with an 89-76 victory over the Frostburg State Bobcats on Monday.
The Bears shifted into high gear in the second half, building on their narrow two-point lead from halftime with an impressive offensive performance and disrupting the Bobcats rhythm.
“We have to put our foot down from the start,” Kevin Broadus, Morgan men’s basketball head coach, said after the game.“Now it is the beauty of the game that it has two halves, and the second half was a lot better than the first.”
The Bobcats began the game with an aggressive full-court defense that forced a total of 10 Bears’ turnovers, which allowed them to lead in a back-and-forth contest early for the majority of the first half.
Graduate student guard Wynston Tabbs and senior guard Amahrie Simpkins led the charge with efficient scoring after the break, leading a 50-39 turnaround to end the game.
Tabbs, last season’s leading scorer, finished with a team-high 24 points, shooting 8 for 12, including 3 for 4 from the three-point line. After being named to the preseason All-MEAC first team, his performance on opening night allowed the Bears offense to flow while battling a gritty squad such as the Bobcats.
“Coming out and throwing the first punch, I feel like doing that gives you a chance to win,” Tabbs said. “Hitting open shots and sharing the ball really put us in a good spot to win any game.”
The Bears dominated the points in the paint, outscoring the Bobcats 52-32, and forced 9 second-half turnovers that resulted in 11 total points off turnovers.
Fast break points also allowed the Bears to control the pace of the game, often getting out into transition and finding the open man for an easy bucket.
“A few of my highlight plays early got the team going, and got the crowd active,” Simpkins said. “Making good plays and finishing gets everybody engaged in the game.” He finished with 19 points along with five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
The Bears were able to use their depth as an advantage, outscoring the Bobcats 29-22 in bench points. Senior forward Daniel Akitoby provided great minutes with timely rebounds and put-back baskets. He finished with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, tallying his first double-double in limited action.
With a quick turnaround before Wednesday’s game, Coach Broadus is focused on a few key areas to help the Bears continue winning.
“We got to start better, improve on rebounding, better communication and overall execution,” said Broadus. “We have room for growth that’s why we play these games to get better, hopefully every game. The best part is it’s behind us and we move on to the next game.”
The Bobcats leading scorer, graduate student Eric Sondberg finished with 18 points, including a team-high two steals and a block.
The Bears are gearing up for another home game tomorrow evening as they face off against Mercyhurst at Hill Field House. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., as the Bears aim to keep their momentum going.
