Boxscore
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Heading into the University of Maryland Eastern Shore game, Bear standout Reggie Holmes needed just 4-points to enter the coveted 1,000-point club.
It only took 10 minutes for Holmes to reach the mark as he drained the second of a pair of 3-pointers to enter the prestigious club.
In the historic game, Holmes led Morgan State with a game-high 18 points to help the No. 1 ranked Bears rout the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 87-52 on Saturday at the W.P. Wytche Center.
Morgan State (11-10, 6-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) dominated from the opening tip and led 54-20 at halftime. Holmes poured in 16 points in the first half to eclipse 1,000 points for his career. From there, the lead only grew, including a couple of transition scores that pushed the Bears to a 79-41 lead less than 7 minutes left in the second half.
Holmes, a Baltimore native, has recorded 1,014 points in his three year career becoming the 20th leading scorer in Morgan State history.
The Hawks (6-13, 2-5) were handed their worst defeat to the Bears since a 93-59 loss in 2006-07 during coach Todd Bozeman's first season at the helm.
Morgan State shot 61.4 percent (35-57 FG), including 5-of-12 3-point attempts and finished with a 35-27 edge in rebounds. More importantly, the Bears completely shut down the Hawks' offense early to take the big lead and held UMES' leading scorer Neal Pitt to 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting.
UMES shot 28 percent, including 5-for-16 from 3-point range.
Morgan State's defense opened the game with five consecutive turnovers and scored the game's first 11 points.
The Bears absolutely dominated the first half of play by draining shots from the perimeter and from beyond the arc, while forcing the Hawks into committing 17 turnovers.
UMES trailed 16-10 following a 3-pointer by Neal Pitt (14:45), but the Bears answered with a 37-10 explosion capped by a Desmond Thomas 3-pointer just before the buzzer to push Morgan State's lead to 54-20 at the break.
It was Morgan State's largest victory since a 34-point win at Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 19th.
Morgan State continues its road swing when they travel to Dover, Delaware to tip-off against conference opponent Delaware State (5-17, 3-4) on Monday night.
