Winston-Salem, NC?March 11, 2009?Reggie Holmes scored a game-high 18 points and Jermaine “Itchy” Bolden added 12 points and a fine all-around floor game to lead Morgan State to a 71-41 win over Florida A&M in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s tournament at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Coliseum. 

 

The Bears (21-11), the Number 1 seed and regular season champs, advances to the semifinal round on Friday at 6 p.m. against the winner of the North Carolina A&T and Coppin State quarterfinal matchup.

 

Holmes, a first team All-MEAC selection, got Morgan State rolling with 10 points and six rebounds in the first 20 minutes.  The Bears led 34-20 at the half and dominated the Rattlers, limiting them to 24-percent shooting from the field.

“We were good today,” said Morgan State head coach Todd Bozeman, the MEAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season.  “It was as good of a team effort in terms of focus as we have had this season.”

 

Added FAMU head coach Eugene Harris, “We got beat by a very good team tonight.  They were well prepared and they took us out of our game plan in the first five minutes and we were never able to recover.  They were more physical than we were.”

 

As impressive as the play of Holmes was, “Itchy” Bolden was the real catalyst to the team’s success.  There was one play in particular that spoke volumes of Holmes’ value to the team.  The Rattlers went on a mini run just before the half to get within nine.  Bolden worked the clock from 29 seconds and coolly buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send his team to the locker room with momentum and a 12-point lead.

 

“I was particularly impressed with the way “Itchy” (Bolden) led us tonight,” praised Coach Bozeman.  “He did a very good job of getting the ball to the right people and making good decisions.” 

 

Bolden finished with six assists and only one turnover in 31 minutes.

 

Holmes was a huge factor on the offensive end but Bozeman was more impressed with the job he did on the boards.

 

“Reggie Holmes is the best rebounding guard in this conference and he proved that again tonight,” praised Bozeman.

 

FAMU (10-21) was led by Brandon Bryant with nine points and Joe Ballard and Lamar Twitty each had eight points.

 

While the Bears did not shoot well, they made up for it with their defense and dominance on the boards where they held a 52-32 advantage, including 23 off the offensive glass.

 

“This is a team that can go to the NCAA tournament and do well,” offered Coach Harris.