DOVER, Del. (Jan. 4, 2020) – Morgan State had five players score in double-figures to lead the Bears to an 81-68 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener win against Delaware State on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall.
Senior forward David Syfax, and sophomore guards Isaiah Burke and Sherwyn Devonish-Prince scored 15 points each. Junior forward Lagio Grantsaan added 13 points and sophomore Malik Miller posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Morgan State (7-9, 1-0) outscored the Hornets 11-2 during a five minute surge during the early going in the second half. Devonish forced a turnover in the backcourt and scored on a layup to give the Bears a 52-44 lead with 12:16 remaining.
The game tightened down the stretch as John Crosby hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 62-57 (3:59). However, the Bears increased the lead over the next few possessions.
Burke hit a baseline jumper just before the shot clock, followed by a steal and dunk by Syfax to take a 66-57 lead. Grantsaan added to the run by connecting on his third 3-pointer of the day and finished a breakaway with a two-handed dunk to give the Bears a 71-58 lead. Morgan cruised to the finish.
Crosby led all scorers with 22 points (9-11 FT), six rebounds and five boards. Fahim Jenneto finished with 13 points and Ameer Bennett had 10 points and eight rebounds.
The game was tied at 3-3 before the Bears used a 7-0 run to take a 10-3 lead with 15:40 remaining in the first half.
Delaware State (1-14, 0-1) went just over 4 minutes without a basket until Jenneto buried a straightaway 3-pointer to trim the lead to 10-6 (14:37).
The Hornets used the long ball to chip into the Bears lead and a 3-pointer by Omari Peek-Green cut the lead to 18-13.
Delaware State regained the lead following a 3-pointer by Bennett and a steal and layup by Stansbury helped give Hornets a 27-25 lead.
Crosby started getting hot toward the final minutes and led all scorers with 12 points in the first half. The teams went into the intermission tied at 34 apiece.
Morgan State shot 50 percent (11-22) in the first half, and finished the game shooting 47 percent (24-51). The Hornets were held to 35 percent shooting and were 8 for 29 from 3-point territory.
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
