Morgan State University Athletics

Boxscore

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State made a few more plays than the Bears did down the stretch, and that was the difference in the outcome tonight.
 
Morgan State forward DeWayne Jackson scored a game-high 23 points, but a Rashad Hassan dunk in the final minute turned out to be the game winner as the Tigers held on to a 57-55 victory over the Bears on Monday night.
 
The Bears fell to 3-10 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and fell to a 2-7 record on the road.
 
SSU (7-9, 3-1 MEAC) had three players score in double-figures, led by Hassan who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Preston Blackmon and Deric Rudolph had 12 points apiece.
 
The Bears shot a blistering 61.8 percent (21-34) from the field, however SSU held a 26-25 advantage on the boards, including 15 offensive rebounds.
 
The Tigers used an 11-4 run during the opening moments of the second half. Rudolf hit three 3-pointers during the stretch to help build a 40-33 lead with 17:03 remaining.
 
The Bears responded with a 14-2 spurt of its own.  Jackson, who shot 8 of 11 from the field, hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game and Ameer Ali (6 pts) scored a basket to put the Bears up 47-42, marking the largest lead of the game.
 
Consecutive turnovers by MSU helped the Tigers regain the lead at 48-47 (7:19). MSU finished the game with 23 turnovers, 14 of them in the first half.
 
Blackmon hit back-to-back 3-pointers to help tie the game at 55-55 (1:52), and a turnover at mid-court by Jackson helped setup the Tigers' game-winning possession when Blackmon fed Hassan for a dunk with just over a minute remaining.
 
MSU had a chance to tie or win the game on an inbounds play with 7 seconds left, but Ali's three-pointer from the corner came up short as the Tigers came away with the victory.
 
Neither team was able to pull away in the first half as the teams went into the halftime tied at 29-29.

MSU's Ian Chiles scored 12 points with five boards and three blocks, while Kevin Thompson added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. 
 
Game Note
MSU played without head coach Todd Bozeman, who was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation stemming from an incident that apparently occurred near the conclusion of the Bears contest at South Carolina State last Saturday. Assistant Coach Kevin McClain will assume coaching responsibilities for the team in the interim.