• Thomas scored 17 of his game-high 24 points (7-13 FG) in the second half and also grabbed seven rebounds for the Bears who improved to 13-14 overall and 6-6 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. 
• Lewis Djonkam finished with 17 points (8-12), six rebounds and four steals, while senior guard Isaiah Burke made two 3-pointers and scored 14 (5-9 FG). Junior guard Kamron Hobbs added 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting and had five assists.
• Freshman guard Rob Lawson came off the bench and chipped in 12 points, four boards and three assists.
• Collin Nnamene finished with eight points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
• Shy Odom led the Bison with 22 points and 10 rebounds. 
• Elijah Hawkins added 16 points, four assists and two steals for Howard. Jelani Williams scored 11 points with five rebounds.

• Morgan opened the second half by outscoring Howard 13-3 and recaptured the lead on a dunk by Thomas to give the Bears a 41-37 lead with 16:13 remaining. 
• Kobe Dickson hit a pair of free throws to trim Morgan's lead to 45-42 (14:00), but the Bears got a jumper from Djonkam and a 3-pointer by Burke to extend the lead to 50-42 with 12:55 remaining.
• Howard cut the lead to 56-50 (8:59) following a dunk by Jordan Wood, but the Bison would get no closer tonight as Morgan would go to lead by as many as 15 points.
• Morgan shot 54-percent from the field and connected on 7-of-19 3-pointers (.368) while the Bison shot 39-percent from the field and connected on 6-of-24 (.250) 3-pointers.
• Morgan shot .667 (22-33) from the free throw line, compared to Howard's .667 percent (18-27).
• Howard controlled the boards outrebounding the Bears 43-32.
• The Bears scored 16 points off forcing 15 Bison turnovers.
• Djonkam opened the game by scoring Morgan's first two baskets and a jumper by Thomas gave the Bears an early 12-5 advantage. Howard used a 9-3 run pull within a point as they trailed 15-14 at the 10:44 mark. The game remained tight until a 3-pointer by Jelani Williams gave Howard its first lead of the game and sparked a 14-7 run to close out the half.
• Morgan trailed 34-28 at the intermission.

• Tonight marked the 114th meeting between the teams, the Bears lead the series 66-48.
• The Bears improved to 9-1 overall inside Hill Field House.
• NBA legend Magic Johnson made a surprises appearance to the game after a morning with a visit to tour the campus and see the newly renovated Thurgood Marshall dining hall ... Johnson is the chairman of dining services provider Sodexo Magic.

COACH BROADUS ON THE WIN
"I want to start off by taking my hat off to a very good Howard team," said MSU coach Kevin Broadus. "They came in first place and our guys stepped up to the challenge. I challenged them all week after we got back from Norfolk. We are down men, but we are not making any excuses... because like I always tell these guys, nobody feels sorry for you. Tonight these guys willed themselves to win." 

"We are fighting everyday and we are trying to make things better," added Broadus. "We are trying to get back in the thick of things and into the hunt."