Morgan State University Athletics

Box Score Boxscore

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Morgan State snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Big South opponent Liberty 67-62 on Thursday night at the Vines Center before a crowd of 2,233.
 
Anthony Hubbard had 16 points and Ian Chiles added 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting for Morgan State as it spoiled the Flames chances of breaking into the win column.
 
Liberty (0-7) opened the second half with a pair of three-pointers and outscored the Bears 11-2 to build its largest lead of the night at 44-37 (16:13).
 
Morgan State turned it around quickly, answering with a 9-1 run. An Ian Chiles dunk over Tomasz Gielo coupled with a bankshot by Blake Bozeman helped the Bears re-establish the lead at 46-44.
 
The ballgame was tied at 49 apiece before Casey Roberts hit a three-pointer with 7:23 left to give Liberty a 52-51 edge. From that point forward the Flames struggled against the Bears defensive pressure and went just over 7 minutes without scoring a basket. 
 
Down the stretch the Bears size was just too much for Liberty. The Bears used a 12-1 run, including fastbreak dunks by Jackson and Hubbard that gave the Bears a 61-53 cushion with just under 2 minutes remaining. The Bears withstood a late push by the Flames and closed out the game from the free throw line.
 
Morgan State, who entered the game shooting 55 percent from the line, shot over double the free throws than Liberty and converted 17-of-27 (63 percent).
 
Morgan State's height advantage took its toll of the Flames, as the Bears outrebounded Liberty by a 42-28 margin. However, Liberty's three-point shooting (7-22 3FG) kept the Flames close all night.
 
Roberts paced Liberty with 15 points, while Davon Marshall and Tavares Speaks chipped in 12 and 11 points respectively.
 
The Bears battled Liberty to a 35-33 lead at halftime.
 
Forward Tomasz Gielo, who returned from a hip injury for his first game of the season, lit it up for the Flames by posting nine points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first half.
 
The teams were tied four times and there were five lead changes during the course of the first half.
 
Morgan State shot 42 percent (24-for-56) from the field, including a dismal 2-of-15 shooting performance from 3-point territory. Liberty was held to 43 percent shooting (23-53).
 
Morgan State will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to face the VMI Keydets in Lexington, Va. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Cameron Hall.

Bear Note

Justin Black was just shy of posting a triple-double. The junior guard finished with a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with nine points and nine assists.