PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Devin Martin and Dominique Elliott sparked a 9-0 run to lead Maryland Eastern Shore's comeback in the final 7 minutes to beat Morgan State 69-65 on Monday at the Hytche Athletic Center.
Martin led the way by scoring 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, while Elliott finished with 14 points and six rebounds to lead UMES (4-14, 1-2 MEAC) to its first conference win of the season.
Morgan State (3-13, 1-2 MEAC) appeared headed for its first conference road win of the season and they absolutely set the pace in the first stanza.
It was a see-saw affair during the opening minutes with five lead changes until
Phillip Carr knocked in a 3-pointer to give the Bears a 21-16 lead (13:31). The Bears led by as many as 10 points and shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the first half.
The Bears led 41-35 at the break, but made just 9 of 22 (40.9 percent) field goals, including 2 of 11 from 3-point range, after the break.
The combination of Martin and Elliott took over in the second half and steadily helped trim the Bears lead.
Trailing the Bears 63-57 with 6:43 remaining, the Hawks got a layup from Derrico Peck that sparked a 9-0 run. A jumper by Elliott to give UMES a 68-63 edge with 3:11 left.
Down the stretch Blossom hit a layup with 38 seconds to go to cut it to 68-65, but it was as close as the Bears would come tonight.
Cedric Blossom scored 17 points (8-11 FG) and
Phillip Carr added 16 (5-9 FG) to lead Morgan State. The Bears also got a solid contribution from
Rasean Simpson who chipped in 13 points with six rebounds and three assists.
The Bears will return to the road at Florida A&M on Saturday, Jan. 16, and at Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Jan. 18.
Bear Bits- The Hawks scored 16 points off of 12 turnovers by the Bears
- Morgan State converted 9-of-13 (69 percent) free throws, while the Hawks shot 77 percent (10-13 FT)
- The Bears drop to 1-9 in road games
- Sophomore forward
Phillip Carr was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week announced by the conference prior to the contest
