Bears capture second straight MEAC title

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Thompson paced the Bears with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Morgan State captured its second straight Mid- Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 68-61 win over South Carolina State at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Reggie Holmes added 17 points and Dewayne Jackson chipped in 12 for the NCAA Tournament-bound Bears (27-9), who have won eight of nine since losing to SCSU on February 15, its lone conference loss this season.

Khalif Toombs scored 15 points, while Jason Flagler and Darnell Porter each had 12 for the third-seeded Bulldogs (18-14), who were vying for their first conference title since 2003.

A Porter three-pointer in the early stages of the second half gave South Carolina State its last lead, 32-31.

Morgan State answered with a 13-2 run, as a Thompson jumper put the Bears in front 44-34 with under 11 1/2 minutes left.

The Bulldogs had their deficit down to six on several occasions, the last occurring with 32 seconds left after two Toombs free throws made it 65-59.

Jackson then hit 1-of-2 free throws, and both Toombs and Porter missed three- pointers the next time down to end SC State's hopes for a tournament appearance.

Holmes and Jackson each hit three-pointers near the midway point of the first half to put Morgan State on top 15-7.

A 12-0 run by the Bulldogs a little later, capped by two Brandon Smalls free throws, had the Bears down, 21-20, but the conference's top seed ended the half on a 7-1 spurt, with a Jackson three-pointer yielding a 29-24 lead.

Game Notes

Morgan State, which spilt the regular season series against SC State, lost to Oklahoma in the first round of last year's Big Dance by 28 points...The Bulldogs were in the conference finals for the first time since 2003...Troy Smith had 10 points for Morgan State.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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