BALTIMORE - Ronald Timus connected for 16 points, including a crucial
three-point play 1:24 left, and Jamar Smith added 15 points and seven
rebounds to lead Morgan State to a 65-62 Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference win over South Carolina State on Saturday.
Derrick Davis, of nearby Washington, D.C., led the Bulldogs in the
loss with 18 points, including a 12-14 effort from the free throw
line. Brian Mason chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds, and Chris
Miller-Williams and Julius Carter contributed eight and seven points
each for SCSU head coach Jamal Brown's team.
SCSU, which was trying to win only its second road game, fell to 6-11
overall and 4-3 in the MEAC, while Morgan State improved to 5-11 on
the season and 3-3 in league play.
The Bulldogs, who trailed 28-24 at the half, dropped behind by 10
early in the second half when Tim Berkeley's dunk off an alley-oop
pass gave the host a 38-28 edge with 15:31 to play.
SCSU reserve guard Thomas Bookman connected on one of this two baskets
from behind the arc a minute later to ignite an 18-6 run that put the
Bulldogs ahead 46-44 at the 8:37 mark.
Smith's short jumper pulled the Bears into a 46-all deadlock. Moments
later, however, Davis completed the first of back-to-back three point
plays the old fashion way to give Brown's team a 49-46 cushion with
6:56 showing. Following a layup by the Bear's Joseph McLean at the
6:13 mark, which sliced SCSU's lead to one, Davis converted his second
three-point play for a 52-48 Bulldog advantage with 5:43 on the clock.
Behind consecutive baskets by Roger Barnes and Jerrel Green, Morgan
State came back to tie at 52-52 at the 4:52 mark. SCSU had a chance to
regain the lead on its next trip down, but Mason missed two free
throws.
The Bears took advantage of the miss on the other end when Barnes
completed a four-point play when he nailed a three-pointer and was
fouled and converted the free throw for a 56-52 with 3:18.
The Bulldogs managed to tie it at 56-all when Carter got two free
throws and Mason hit a putback with 2:05 left. But things deteriorated
from there for SCSU as Timus grabbed a missed shot and put it back and
was fouled, completing a three-point play for a 59-56 Morgan lead.
Two straight SCSU turnovers led to two Bear free throws and a 61-56
lead. The Bulldogs closed within a point at 61-60, but Morgan State
made four straight free throws to hold on for the win.
A disappointed Brown said the loss was a crucial setback for his team,
which must now fight for its life to try and stay in the MEAC chase.
"The loss is pretty devastating," Brown said. "We really had a chance
to give our team a little breathing room, but instead, we let a
winnable game get away.
"I like the fact that we battled back from a 10-point deficit in the
second half," he continue, "but when we had a chance to put the game
away, we missed crucial free throws or turned the ball over.
"We also didn't do a good job on defense in the second half. Morgan
State made almost 55 percent of its shots from the field. We are not
good enough on offense to allow a team to shoot 55 percent against us.
"Monday's game (against Coppin State) is really a big game now. We
have to have that game in order to stay above water."
The Coppin State game is the final contest in a four-game MEAC road
swing for the Bulldogs. The game gets underway at 7:30 p.m. and will
follow the women's contest starting at 5:30 p.m.
n Morgan St. women
topple SCSU, 51-47
After capturing their first road win of the season less than a week
ago, the SCSU had an opportunity to make it two in a row away from
home Saturday.
However, Morgan State held on for a 51-47 victory over the Lady
Bulldogs.
SCSU head coach Tonya Mackey's team, which led throughout the first
half and owned a 20-17 advantage at the break, fell behind by 12
points, 36-24, midway the second half, but battled back to close to
within one twice, the last time at 46-45 with 1:21 remaining.
A turnover and two missed layups short-circuited the comeback and the
chance for the victory as Morgan closed the game with a 5-2 run.
"Our undoing down the stretch was turnovers and missed layups," Mackey
said. "We also missed a lot of free throws when we were making our
comeback. We had our chances, got good shots but just couldn't
convert.
"I was pleased at the way we attacked the basket in the late going,"
she continued, "But we didn't finish, and that's important - putting
the ball in the basket - in a close game."
Freshman Sophilia Hipps had 15 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs in the
loss. Also in double figures were Rasheeda Jones with 12 and Brittany
Gillespie, who came off the bench for 10.
Jenell Moore had a game-high 12 rebounds and Jones and Baity each
grabbed six each for SCSU, which enjoyed a 45-36 edge on the boards.
The loss dropped the Lady Bulldogs to 4-13 overall and 2-5 in the
MEAC.
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