Jamar Smith led the Bears with a game-high 26 points in 31 minutes of action at Howard on Saturday night.
Boxscore
Bear Shots
Washington, D.C. -- Morgan State put together a 16-2 run over the first six minutes of the second half to blow the game open and cruise to a 69-51 win over Howard at Burr Gymnasium before 1,980 fans. The win marked the Bears third consecutive victory.
Senior Jamar Smith led all scorers with 26 points and shot 13-for-19 from the floor for the Bears who improved to 10-8 overall and 5-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, while it was the third straight loss for the Bison (4-15 overall, 1-4 MEAC).
Morgan State held an early 14-4 advantage following a layup by junior Marquise Kately with 14:10 remaining in the first half.
But Howard stayed close and cut into the deficit in the final five minutes of the half.
One of Howard’s few highlights of the night came after Randy Hampton went the length of the court and was fouled on a dunk by Rogers Barnes. Hampton’s free throw pulled the Bison within two, trailing 25-23 with 1:43 left.
Smith quieted the crowd with back-to-back baskets in the final moments as the Bears took a 29-23 lead into halftime.
Hampton led the Bison with 16 points (8-10 FT) and nine rebounds, but he also had a game-high six turnovers. Junior guard Eugene Myatt finished with 11 points and Jeron Smith added 8.
Kately and Smith combined for 14 of Morgan’s State’s points during the key run that opened a 45-25 lead at the 14:12 mark.
Kately finished the game with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Boubacar Coly chipped in seven boards and two blocks. Jermaine Bolden added six points and finished with four assists, including a “highlight reel” pass to Smith for a windmill slam dunk.
The Bison were able to get back into the game as they reeled off a 21-10 run that narrowed the margin to 55-46 with almost six minutes left to play.
But the Bears took advantage of some Howard miscues and ran off a 12-2 spurt that all but decided the outcome.
The Bears scored 25 points off of 20 Bison turnovers and held a 46-32 advantage in points-in-the-paint.
Morgan State will try to continue its streak when it travels to Virginia to take on the Pirates of Hampton University on Monday at 7:30 pm.
