ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- Eric Eaves scored 22, Gabe McCray had 17 points with eight rebounds and South Carolina State beat Morgan State 82-78 Monday night.

Cedric Blossom hit 1 of 2 free throws to trim Morgan State's deficit to 81-78 with 21 seconds left. McCray split a pair at the line to give the Bulldogs a four-point lead and Blossom missed a shot at the buzzer.

Ed Stephens added 16 points for SCSU (14-11, 9-2), which has won nine of its last 10 games and is tied atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with Hampton. Tashombe Riley scored 10 points with nine rebounds and Ty Solomon had eight of the Bulldogs' 17 assists.

SCSU closed the first half on a 9-0 run, capped by Daryll Palmer's putback dunk, for a 39-32 lead.

Blossom scored a game-high 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting to lead the Bears (5-17, 3-6). Phillip Carr had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Rasean Simpson added 12 points and Andre  Horne chipped in 10. 

SCSU shot 56 percent from the field and was 6-for-11 from 3-point territory, while the Bears shot 47 percent (8-17 3FG) from downtown and shot 45 percent from the floor.

Bear Notes:
SCSU outscored the Bears 10-2 in fastbreak scoring and held a 24-16 advantage for points in the paint.