msubcuaction
Courtesy of Bethune-Cookman Athletics
78
Morgan State MSUM 8-11,2-2
85
Winner Bethune-Cookman BCUM 9-9,3-1
Morgan State MSUM
8-11,2-2
78
Final
85
Bethune-Cookman BCUM
9-9,3-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Morgan State MSUM 32 46 78
Bethune-Cookman BCUM 45 40 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | MSU Athletic Communications

Bears Second Half Rally Falls Short at Bethune-Cookman

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 13, 2020) -- Morgan State fell behind by 13 in the first half at Bethune-Cookman and battled back to eventually take the lead in the final minutes. However, a clutch 3-pointer by Leon Redd proved to be the separation the Wildcats needed to end the Bears upset bid with an 85-78 win Monday night at Moore Gymnasium. 
 
Cletrell Pope showed why he was selected the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9, senior forward finished the night witha career-high 29 points (9-11 FG) and had 18 rebounds and four steals. 
 
Morgan State (8-11, 2-2) had four players in double digits, including Troy Baxter who played 36 minutes and finished with 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting and led the Bears with seven rebounds. David Syfax came off the bench and scored a season-high 16 points and was 4 of 5 from 3-point territory. Stanley Davis added 12 points and Sherwyn Devonish-Prince had 10.
 
Morgan State led, 6-2 early on, but the Wildcats reeled off a couple of baskets to give the Wildcats a 9-6 advantage with 14:29 remaining in the first half.
 
Bethune-Cookman (9-9, 3-1) stretched the lead to 23-12 after a Isaiah Bailey pair of free throws with 6:52 left. After Troy Baxter scored a layup (6:25), the Wildcats responded with a 12-4 run punctuated by a dunk by Justyne King to take a 33-18 lead. 
 
Jordan Preaster scored 7 points to ignite a 10-4 run to give the Wildcats its largest lead of the half at 39-22.
 
Troy Baxter hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to trim Bethune's lead to 45-32 at halftime.
 
Pope paced the Wildcats with 13 points and seven rebounds after the first 20 minutes for the Wildcats who were shooting 50% (16-32) from the field, while the Bears shot 44% (12-27) and had 14 turnovers.
 
The Bears got off to a hot start after the intermission.
 
David Syfax hit a 3-pointer to jumpstart a 17-4 run by the Bears. Bethune's bench was whistled for a technical foul during the run and Syfax hit a pair of  threes to cut the lead to 52-49 with 14:41 left to go. 
 
After Devonish hit a three to trim the lead to 58-56, Pope would go on to score 10 of the Wildcats' next 16 points to help give his team a 68-60 lead at the 7:46 mark. 
 
The Bears continued to battle and responded with an 8-0 run.  A tip-in by Baxter tied the game at 68 apiece with just under 5 minutes left.
 
Morgan State took a 72-71 lead after Baxter scored with just over 3 minutes to go. It was the Bears first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
 
Pope made some big plays down the stretch for the Wildcats. He scored on a tip-in and followed it up with an assist to Leon Redd for a 3-pointer to put Bethune up 78-75.
 
Baxter split a pair of free throws with just under a minute remaining to cut the lead to 78-76, but the Wildcats answered when Wali Parks hit a 3-pointer to put his team up 81-76. 
 
Pope and Maitland salted the game away from the free throw line as Bethune escaped with its third conference win.

Up Next
Morgan State returns home to face Howard (2-16, 0-4) on Saturday. Tip-off against the Bison is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Hill Field House in Baltimore, Md.
 
Bear Notes
Morgan State holds a 36-27 overall record in the series, but the Wildcats have won the last two meetings
Morgan State was outrebounded by the Wildcats by a 42-31 margin
The teams combined for 41 turnovers (MSU - 21, BCU - 20)
Isaiah Burke had a season-high four steals




 
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