Whether it's because of the hype surrounding the Super Bowl, baseball's Hot Stove League or the state university in College Park, the Morgan State men's basketball team finds it difficult to get noticed these days. Its league games are in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, where the Bears remain in first place, but they often play in anonymity.
Morgan's latest attempt to draw attention to itself came yesterday at Hill Field House, where its domination at home, and against UMES, went uninterrupted. Senior guard Jamar Smith scored 18 points, and three Bears posted double doubles in a 67-52 victory that didn't satisfy coach Todd Bozeman.
The lead changed hands eight times in the first half, and there were three ties before senior center Boubacar Coly scored inside with 2:51 left to put Morgan ahead 32-30. Junior forward Marquise Kately added a free throw before the buzzer.
A 13-6 run to start the second half gave Morgan its first double-digit lead, 46-36. UMES was held to one field goal in the first 6:30.
"That was ugly," Bozeman said. "We didn't play well at all, but the hard part is, when you're trying to change a [losing] culture and you've got a bull's eye on your back, everybody is coming after you."
The Bears (12-8, 7-1) are off to their best start since the 1978-79 season, when they were 18-12. They've won five straight games and are 6-0 at home.
"Everybody's trying to beat us now because we're in the No. 1 spot," Smith said. "We've just got to stay focused."
Kately and Coly each had 15 points and combined for 24 rebounds as Morgan won for the eighth time in the past nine meetings between the schools and improved to 44-30 in the series since 1971.
"We have a standard, and we're trying to play up to that standard every time," Kately said.
On paper, the Hawks (2-20, 0-7) never stood a chance, but they hung tough in the first half behind junior guard Ed Tyson's 18 points and Morgan's 36 percent shooting from the field and 11-for-18 performance from the line. Tyson (Walbrook) led all scorers with 28 points.
"When you're playing a team in last place, you can't afford to be casual. It's a growth thing, a maturity thing," Bozeman said.
"Sometimes, you've got to find a way to motivate yourself."
roch.kubatko@baltsun.com