Score: Morgan State 74 | UMES 75
Location: Hytche Athletic Center, Princess Anne, Md.
Records: Morgan State 4-13, 0-1 | UMES 4-9, 1-0
The short story: Despite an up-and-down battle all afternoon, Morgan State blew a late lead and fell to Maryland Eastern Shore by a score of 75-74 on Saturday afternoon at the Hytche Athletic Center. The game marked the start of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference action for both teams. The Bears drop to 4-13 (0-1) on the season, while the Hawks improved to 4-9 (1-0).
OPENING TIP
- Troy Hupstead, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., paced the Hawks with 14 points (5-14 FG) and finished with a game-high 13 rebounds. He also added three assists.
- Baltimore product Toby Nnadozie scored 11 points in 16 minutes, while junior guard Chace Davis chipped in 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
- Wynston Tabbs led the Bears with a game-high 20 points and connected on 4-of-7 3-pointers to go along with four boards and two steals in 28 minutes. Junior guard added 16 points (4-5 3FG) and had four rebounds, two assists and a block in 30 minutes. Will Thomas also scored in double-figures with 10 points in 24 minutes.
- Junior forward Allen Udemadu added seven points (3-4 FG), seven rebounds and a block.
THE DIFFERENCE
- Morgan connected on 48 percent (27-56) of their shots from the field and shot 9-of-19 from 3-point territory. Meanwhile, the Hawks shot 46 percent from the field and connected on just 4 of 16 3-pointers.
- Morgan shot .786 (11-14) from the free throw line, compared to UMES' 81 percent (17-21).
- The battle on the boards was practically even as the Bears held a 33-32 advantage, while the Hawks held an 11-10 advantage on the offensive glass.
- The Hawks' bench outscored Morgan by a 22-16 margin.
- The Bears caught fire and finished four consecutive trips down the floor with 3-pointers to break the game open ... Tabbs knocked down a jumper as part of the Bears' 16-4 run to build a 14 point lead (64-50) with just over eight minutes left, but UMES would not go away.
- Chace Davis got a steal and finished with a breakaway layup as part of the start of a 19-8 run by the Hawks' … a dunk by Malang Athian trimmed Morgan's lead to 72-69 with 3:54 remaining.
- The Hawks took advantage of costly turnover in the paint by Allen Udemadu with 1:10 remaining. Athian scored on a tip-in to trim the lead to 74-73 and Hupstead grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on a putback with 2 seconds left to go with a chance to take the lead from the stripe…he toed the line and hit both free throws.
- Tabbs raced down the floor and his floater from the left baseline was missed and the Hawks would hold on for the 75-74 conference win.
NOTABLE
- With the loss, the Bears now lead the series 57-42.
- Morgan's record is currently 0-9 on the road and 0-2 in games decided by 4 points or less.
- Morgan's leading scorer Wynston Tabbs (15.7 ppg) notched his fourth game with 20 or points.
UP NEXT
Morgan continues conference play when they host Delaware State (8-9, 1-0) on Monday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Hill Field House.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more.
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 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.
