Justin Black led the Bears with 20 points against #4 Savannah State.
Box Score
NORFOLK, Va. -- Justin Black scored the game-winning 3-pointer with 33 seconds in overtime to lift Morgan State to a thrilling, 64-61 win over Savannah State in the final quarterfinal game of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena.
The Bears (16-14), the number five seed, will take on Bethune Cookman in Friday's semifinal game at 6 p.m. Delaware State and North Carolina A&T will follow in the other semifinal match at 8 p.m.
Black came up big from long range for the Bears when they were in dire straits. Down 53-49 with 1:29 remaining, Black went to work, nailing a 3-pointer that brought his team to within one at 53-52. Savannah State responded with a dunk by Rashad Hassan with 51 seconds to take the lead back to three at 55-52.
Black answered 11 seconds later and hit yet another 3-pointer that tied the score at 55 with 40 seconds remaining. The Bears forced a turnover and had a shot to win it in regulation but a Blake Bozeman 3-point attempt came up short, sending the game into an extra period.
In the extra stanza, there were three lead changes and two ties, the last coming when Black converted two free throws to make it 61-all with 1:50 remaining. After the two teams came up empty on their possessions, the Bears got the ball with 45 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Morgan State worked the ball around and it ended up in the hands of Black who delivered the knockout punch. Savannah State (19-14), the number four seed, got two chances but attempts by Deven Williams and Preston Blackman missed.
"I wasn't really thinking," said Black, who finished a team-high 20 points. "I caught a man in the air with a pump fake. I saw the opening and I shot it. By then I had gotten rhythm and I took advantage of it."
Morgan State took control late in the first half as Ian Chiles established himself on both defense and offense, scoring 12 points, blocking three shots and forcing Savannah State players to hesitate on their shots. Black added seven points and Dewayne Jackson, a first team all-MEAC selection, contributed six.
"We wanted to get the ball into Ian Chiles in the post," said Morgan State Coach Todd Bozeman. "We were playing on the perimeter and needed to get the ball inside more. But mainly we wanted to get stops."
It was a different story in the second half. The Tigers zone gave the Bears problems on offense and it helped fuel a 16-4 run that saw them reduce a 10-point deficit and take a 49-45 lead at the 5:32 mark. Much of Savannah State's scoring came from Williams, who tallied 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half and overtime period and Rashad Hasaan, who tallied 11 of his 13 in the second half.
"What can I say? They made the plays," said Savannah State head coach Horace Broadnax. "We had opportunities to get loose balls and extend the lead in regulation, but we didn't do that. Morgan State played a little bit better than we did tonight."
In addition to Black's 20 points, Chiles finished with 14, reserve Anthony Hubbard with 13 off the bench and Jackson had 11.
The Tigers got 20 from Williams, 13 from Hassan and 10 points and six assists from Blackman.
Due to the setup of the schedule, Morgan State and Bethune Cookman have not played each other in two years.
"They are a good team and beating Norfolk State was huge," said Bozeman. "It's been two years since we've played them. I know that they have good size and Craig (Gravelle) does a great job defensively."
