Senior Jamar Smith scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the 2nd half and collected 9 rebounds against the Aggies.
Boxscore
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jamar Smith had a game-high 26 points and Morgan State shot 56.9 percent from the field in an 87-66 win over North Carolina A&T on Saturday night at Irvin-Corbett Court. The game marked the Bears second highest offensive output of the season.
Smith, one of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) leading scorers, scored 15 of his 26 points in the second half and collected nine boards in 31 minutes.
Morgan State’s (7-7, 2-0 MEAC) Boubacar Coly was perfect from the floor (7-7 FG) and finished with a season-high 16 points to go along with nine rebounds and two blocks. Marquise Kately recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points (7-12 FG) and 10 rebounds, while Reggie Holmes chipped 15 points in his first game back since suffering an ankle sprain on Dec. 27.
A&T’s All-MEAC guard Steven Rush was held in check for most of the night. Rush, who entered the contest averaging 15 points per game, was limited to 6 points on 2-for-8 shooting and 0-for-2 from beyond the arc.
The Aggies were led off of the bench by Ed Jones (17 pts) and Angelo Hernandez had (15).
The Bears held a commanding 39-26 advantage on the boards and limited the Aggies starting five unit to just 14 points.
Morgan State led 41-26 at halftime and kept up the pressure early in the second half with their efficient scoring. Smith and Coly helped the Bears initiate a 20-8 run capped by a tomahawk slam by Smith over A&T’s Ed Jones to push the lead to 61-34 with 14:03 remaining.
The Bears scored 52 points in the paint and outscored the Aggies 24-13 in second chance baskets.
Morgan State scored the game’s first 8 points and took a 10-1 lead after a jumper by Smith at the 15:51 mark. The Aggies battled back and closed within 14-11 following a basket by Hernandez (11:40). The Bears answered with a 19-6 run and led by as many as 17 points in the first half.
