BLACK CATAPULTS MSU OVER SOUTH CAROLINA STATE, 76-60
Justin Black led the Bears with 17 points against South Carolina State on Saturday night.

BLACK CATAPULTS MSU OVER SOUTH CAROLINA STATE, 76-60

1/12/2013 4:18:00 PM

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BALTIMORE, Md. -- Morgan State entered tonight's ballgame attempting to snap a five-game losing streak by recording its first victory of the New Year.
 
It was a long time between victories for head coach Todd Bozeman's team. In fact, they last won a game beating VMI way back on December 1st.  But tonight, they can put that all behind them.
 
Junior guard Justin Black led the Bears with 17 points as Morgan State (4-8, 1-0) claimed their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory on Saturday. The win improved the Bears to 8-0 record in conference openers under Bozeman.
 
“We have been on a losing streak for five games now, so this is a really good win for us,” said Justin Black.
 
“We just came together today... We like playing in the Hill Field House and representing our home court. We took advantage of all the opportunities on the court tonight and came out with a victory.”
 
Khalif Toombs led S.C. State with a game-high 19 points (8-8 FT). Matthew Hezekiah and Darryl Palmer added 13 and 10 points respectively.
 
The Bears' solid team defense, coupled with contributions from everybody proved too much for S.C. State.
 
Ian Chiles had 14 points and eight rebounds. DeWayne Jackson scored 13 points with seven assists and six boards, while Blake Bozeman and Shaquille Duncan added 10 points apiece.
 
Morgan State shot 53 percent (32-60) from the field, while limiting the Bulldogs to 43 percent shooting and just 2-of-9 from beyond the arc.
 
Morgan State built a 19-point advantage in the second half and never looked back.
 
S.C. State (4-11, 0-1) started the game quickly, outscoring the Bears 8-2 during the early going. A putback dunk by Bulldog Darryl Palmer led to a timeout by Bozeman who proceeded to substitute his entire starting line-up.  
 
Following the timeout, the Bears started to methodically gain momentum. Black led the charge at the midway point of the first half when he collected a pair of steals and scored on a layup and a dunk to help launch an 18-3 run. A basket by Shaquille Duncan gave the Bears a 32-23 lead (3:50).
 
The Bears defense, which was stifling throughout most of the contest, held the Bulldogs without a single field goal during a 10-minute stretch before halftime.
 
MSU went into the locker room with a 38-31 lead.
 
Morgan State continues conference play when they host the Savannah State Tigers at Hill Field House on Monday, January 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
BEAR NOTES
 
The Bears finished with five players scoring in double-figures
 
MSU held a 31-29 advantage on the boards
 
DeWayne Jackson recorded a career-high seven assists

The Bears recorded its first home win since defeating Liberty 91-80 during a Bracketbusters matchup on February 18, 2012

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