Boubacar Coly posted his 12th career double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Boxscore
BALTIMORE, Md. – Senior point guard Jerrell Green scored nine of his 13 points in overtime to help lead Morgan State to a 66-62 victory in front of 3,738 fans at Hill Field House on Monday night.
The Bears improved to 18-9 overall and 12-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and enhanced their chances at capturing their first ever regular season title with just two games left on the schedule (Delaware State - 3/1, Coppin State - 3/6).
The Pirates looked poised to hand Morgan State its first home loss of the season after Matthew Pilgrim powered in a dunk to give them a 56-55 lead with 3:36 left to go.
But Green helped turn the tide down the stretch. Green, a Baltimore product, shot 3-for-3 from the field, 2-for-3 from the stripe and knocked-down a three-pointer.
The Bears got a huge boost when Green threw outlet pass to Karanvir Aujla, who passed to Boubacar Coly cutting down the lane, who in turn fed Green for a layup to cap a textbook fast break and give Morgan State a 61-58 advantage with 57 seconds remaining.
Coly helped preserve their lead on the defensive end where he was huge. The 6-foot-9 post player hauled down three boards in the extra session, took a charge on Pilgrim who fouled out of the game (47 secs.), and swatted a layup attempt by Rashad West with 33 seconds left.
Coly, who was earlier named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week for the 8th
time, finished the game with his 12th career double-double by posting 10 points, 15 rebounds and also had a game-high six blocked shots.
The Bears sealed the victory from the free throw line where they finished 5-for-6 in the last 17 seconds of the game.
Morgan State opened the ballgame playing stingy defense and held the Pirates to just one field goal over the first 11 minutes. The Bears led 12-3 (9:22) before Hampton got back in the game and cut the lead to 22-19 following a three-pointer by West with 3:13 remaining in the half.
The Bears fired back behind the hot shooting of junior Rogers Barnes who proceeded to go on an 8-0 run to help extend Morgan State’s lead to 30-19 at the intermission.
The Pirates shot just 22.2 percent in the first half, including 4-for-16 from 3-point range. The Bears shot 9-for-31 from the floor (29%) and was 2-for-10 in 3-pointers.
The Pirates entered the second half with renewed energy, suffocating defense and the play of West. West scored 11 of his game-high 19 points in the second half as the Pirates rallied and outscored Morgan State 29-20, and tied the ballgame at 50-50 when Pilgrim scored on a layup with 1:15 left in regulation.
The Bears locked down on defense down the stretch as senior Aujla denied a penetration move by West and forced a turnover to give Morgan State the ball with 15 seconds left in the game. Junior Marquise Kately's shot attempt in the final seconds ended up rolling out of bounds as time expired to send the ballgame into overtime.
Morgan State outrebounded the Pirates by a commanding 50-36 margin, including 10 by Kately who also tallied 13 points and a block.
