(Photo: University of Maryland Eastern Shore)

University of Maryland Eastern Shore men’s basketball closes out their 2017 regular season Thursday evening.

The Hawks will take on the Morgan State Bears in a MEAC showdown contest in Princess Anne.

In the final game, University of Maryland Eastern Shore is seeking to finish above .500 in the MEAC where they currently sit 8-7 in conference and 11-19 overall. The Hawks are coming off a 79-69 loss at Howard.

Bakari Copeland has been a consistent threat throughout the entire season leading the team with 17.7 points per game and rebounding with 6.1 per game. Copeland has scored in double figures in all but three games this season to accompany his five double doubles.

Being third in the MEAC in scoring offense, the Hawks are averaging 72.2 points per game and have shown they have no problem putting up points versus their opponents. The difficult problem is the Hawks are currently tenth in the MEAC in field goal percent defense and are being outscored by a 4.8 point margin this season.

Meanwhile, the Bears are rolling seeking their fifth straight win. Morgan State secured a win against Coppin State last game and will seek to finish the season on a positive note.

The Bears currently are 14-14 overall and 11 of those 14 wins are against MEAC opponents.

Morgan State is currently second in the MEAC in scoring defense and rebounding, as well as fourth in field goal percent defense.

Three point field goal defense has been outstanding for the Bears who are first in the MEAC. The Hawks are currently third in the MEAC in three point field goal percentage, so a big matchup will take place at the arc.

The Bears have gotten the better of the Hawks in the regular season series leading 51-36, but the Hawks have won the last four regular season meetings.

University of Maryland Eastern Shore will be looking for payback from last season where Morgan State knocked the Hawks out of the MEAC Tournament in 2016.

Regardless of how this game plays out, the Hawks will be the fifth seed in the MEAC Tournament and will face North Carolina A&T on Monday.

Tip off for the game is set for 7:30 p.m.