Aric Brooks paced the Bears with 16 points.
Boxscore
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Morgan State had three players score in double-figures and hit free throws down the stretch to help beat Florida A&M 74-68 on Thursday night at the Al Lawson Center in Tallahassee (Fla.).
The Bears (9-19, 6-10) will enter the MEAC Tournament next week as one of the hottest teams in the league having won four of its last five games, including its last two. Meanwhile, the Rattlers' losing streak was extended to three.
Aric Brooks led the Bears with 16 points, while
Justin Black had 12 and
Shaquille Duncan added 10.
When Chris Watson hit a 3-pointer to get the Rattlers within 32-28, MSU responded with an 11-3 run punctuated by a dunk by
Ian Chiles that gave the Bears a 45-31 cushion.
Morgan State shot 68 percent (17-25) from the field and hit 3-of-3 3-pointers to help build a 48-35 halftime lead.
The Bears had an answer every time Florida A&M seemed to be gaining momentum in the second half.
The Rattlers (8-22, 6-10) cut the lead to single digits behind the play of Amin Stevens. Stevens, who finished with a game-high 32 points and 11 rebounds, scored eight points during a five minutes stretch, including a conventional 3-point play that made it 57-52 with 9:31 left. It was closest the Rattlers had been since trailing 32-28 in the first half.
Stevens was the only player to score in double figures for the Rattlers, who connected on 23 of 61 shots (37 percent) and only had four assists for the night.
MSU responded by outscoring the Rattlers 9-2 margin and jumper by Brooks gave the Bears a 66-53 lead with 6:46 remaining. However the Rattlers stayed within striking distance and made it interesting in the final four minutes of the game.
The Bears led by 10 at the 3:57 mark before Stevens helped spark a 7-1 spurt to cut the lead to 70-66 with 28 seconds left. The Rattlers were forced to foul in the final moments and
Justin Black cashed in from the charity stripe by converting 4 of 4 free throws in the final 24 seconds to help the Bears hold off FAMU for the win.
Game Note
The Morgan State Bears will be the No. 9 seed when they travel to Winston-Salem (N.C.) and Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum to compete in the 2012 MEAC Tournament. The Bears will open tournament play on Tuesday, March 6 in the 11 a.m. ET First Round matchup against No. 8 seed Hampton. For more Tournament information go to www.meachoops.com.
