Score: Morgan State 77 | Norfolk State 71
Location: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Records: Morgan State 11-9, 4-1 | NSU 13-7, 3-2
The short story: Redshirt sophomore forward Will Thomas poured in a game and career-high 27 points and senior guard Isaiah Burke added 21 points to help lead Morgan State to a 77-71 conference win against Norfolk State on ESPNU in front of an energized crowd at Hill Field House.

OPENING TIP

• Thomas, who entered the game averaging 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds, was inserted to the starting lineup in place of Malik Miller who was out due to injury. The Baltimore product scored 15 of his career-high 27 points in the second half and finished the night with a double-double performance. He shot 11-for-22 from the floor, was 3-of-6 from downtown and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Burke connected on 7-of-18 from the floor, 5-of-11 from three and converted 2-of-3 from the free throw line for the Bears. 
• Kamron Hobbs chipped in 11 points (3-6 3FG) with four assists and three rebounds.
• The Spartans had four players score in double-figures. Kris Bankston led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Joe Bryant had a dismal shooting night as  he finished with 12 points on 3-of-18 shooting and was 0-for-8 from 3-point territory. Nyzaiah Chambers and Caheim Brown scored 11 points apiece.

THE DIFFERENCE

• Morgan raced out to a 14-0 lead before Joe Bryant scored a layup to put the Spartans on the board. 
• Isaiah Burke's three-pointer would put Norfolk State in a 20-4 hole and the Bears would hold a 37-25 advantage at halftime.
• The Spartans trimmed Morgan's lead to 50-48 with 11:47 remaining in the contest, but that's as close as the Spartans would get. Rob Lawson fed Ty Horner for a jumper and Kamron Hobbs buried a 3-pointer to give the Bears 55-48 lead with 9:46 remaining. NSU would trail for the entire game on its way to its second defeat in its last three games.
• Morgan shot .722 (13-18) from the free throw line, while the Spartans finished 29-for-38 (.763) from the stripe.
• The Bears were out-rebounded by the Spartans by a 46-30 margin.
• Morgan shot .448 (26-of-58) from the field, compared to Norfolk's .368 (21-of-57). The Bears shot .462 (12-26) from beyond the arc, while the Spartans failed to convert a single shot from long range (0-for-13).
• Norfolk held a 15-8 advantage in second chance scoring.
• The Spartans outscored Morgan in the paint by a 40-16 margin.

NOTABLE

• The game was televised nationally by ESPNU.
• The Bears are 11-9 overall and are tied with Howard and Maryland Eastern Shore for first place in the MEAC with a 4-1 record in conference play. 
• Tuesday night's game improved Morgan's home record to 8-0 this season...it also marked the Bears 11th consecutive home win.
• Burke has scored 20 or more points in 11 games this season, including four games of scoring 30 points. 
• Tonight marked the 63rd meeting between the teams -- Norfolk leads the series 43-20.

NEXT UP
Morgan will travel to Dover to take on the Delaware State Hornets (2-16, 1-4) on Saturday at Memorial Hall. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m. (EST).