Morgan State University Athletics

Boxscore

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Morgan State fell on the road to Navy 77-67 in the first ever meeting between the two schools. Senior forward Laramie Mergerson and David Hooper helped the Midshipmen hand the Bears its fourth road loss of the season.

Mergerson finished the game with a double-double by recording a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Hooper added 17 points to lead the Mids past Morgan State to improve their record to 3-2 under first-year coach Billy Lange.

Morgan State (1-4) had opportunities to pull out the victory but poor free throw shooting and careless turnovers led to their demise. The Bears connected on just 11-of-21 from the stripe (52%) and committed 19 turnovers.

Trailing 38-33 at halftime, the Bears broke out in the second half by forcing the Mids into committing four consecutive turnovers that led to a 13-3 run and a 46-41 advantage.

But Navy bounced right back with a 19-3 run of its own led by Mergerson, Hooper and Carlton Baldwin. The Mids took a 60-49 lead with 7:40 left, and cruised to a finish as Morgan sent Navy to the charity stripe in an attempt to chip into the lead. Unlike the Bears, the Mids converted 27-of-38 free throws (71%) which were enough to hold off Morgan in the end.

Senior small forward Christopher Grant was the only Bear to finish in double-figures as he recorded 15 points and three steals. Sharpshooter Sam Brand was held to 2-for-10 from the field and finished with 7 points, while senior Aaron Andrews and junior Ronald Timus both finished with 9 points.

Navy won the battle on the boards as they outrebounded Morgan 42-30, and held the Bears to 38% shooting in the second half.

The Bears will be back in action when they host South Carolina State (5-1) in Hill Field House on Saturday (Dec. 4).  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.