Senior Jamar Smith scored 19 points against Saint Francis as the Bears improved to 2-1.
Boxscore
LORRETTO, Pa. -- Marquise Kately had 21 points (10-19 FG) and Jamar Smith had 19 points (9-13 FG) to help the Morgan State Bears get a 77-53 road victory over the Saint Francis Red Flash on Wednesday night.
Jerrell Green added 13 points and five assists, Reggie Holmes scored 12 and Boubacar Coly finished with eight points, six boards and four blocked shots.
The win marked Morgan State's first 2-1 start since the 1988-89 season.
Bassirou Dieng finished with 14 points and three blocks, while Kurt Hoffman and Grant Surprenant chipped in 10 points apeice for the Red Flash.
Morgan State played almost flawless throughout most of the night. The Bears shot 11-of-12 (91.7%) from the free throw line, connected on 50 percent (31-62) of their shots and protected the basketball by finishing with just five turnovers for the night.
The Bears raced out to a 13-4 lead in the opening minutes and extended the advantage to 37-26 when Green fed Kately for a layup in final seconds of the first half.
Saint Francis (0-3) was plagued by miscues as the Bears capitalized on 21 Red Flash turnovers, 15 coming in the first half. MSU recorded 23 points off turnovers and finished with 14 fast break points.
Morgan State used an 11-3 run midway through the second half and a turnover by guard Cale Nelson led to a Kately dunk to push the Bears' lead to 69-49 with 6:01 remaining in the game.
The Bears will tip-off against American in MSU's season-opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday (Nov. 20) at Hill Field House.
