Score: Morgan State 95 | Howard 100
Location: Burr Gymnasium, Washington, D.C.
Records: Morgan State 7-12, 1-2 | Howard 7-9, 2-0
The short story:  Marcus Dockery and Blake Harper combined for 48 points to lead the Howard Bison men's basketball team to an 100-95 victory against Beltway rival Morgan State on Saturday afternoon at Burr Gymnasium.

OPENING TIP

• Dockery connected on 9-of-15 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point territory   and added four rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes.
• Howard's freshman standout Blake Harper filled the statsheet with 23 points (7-12 FG), seven rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes. Anwar Gill added 14 points and six assists in 38 minutes.
• The Bears had four players in double-figures. Kameron Hobbs and Will Thomas recorded 24 points apiece. Hobbs was 4-for-9 from beyond the arc and Thomas shot 40 percent (8-20 FG) from the floor and grabbed five boards, three assists and three steals.
• Daniel Akitoby recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds…he also had a pair of blocked shots. 
• Amahrie Simpkins finished with 20 points (7-11FG), five rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 26 minutes.

THE DIFFERENCE

• MSU shot 49 percent (34-70) from the field, including 38 percent (6-16) from 3-point territory. The Bison shot 59 percent (35-58) from the floor and was 9-for-12 from behind the arc.
• Morgan shot 21-for-26 (80%) from the free throw line, compared to Howard's 72 percent (21-29).
• The Bears held a 36-32 advantage on the boards, but was outscored by the Bison 50-40 inside the paint. 
• HU's bench outscored the Bears by a 27-10 margin.
• Morgan's largest lead of the game was at 4-0 at the 19:23 mark.
• Will Thomas reeled off 11 straight points to help give the Bears an 18-17 lead with 13 minutes to go in the opening half.
• The Bison used a 11-0 spurt and a breakaway dunk by Cameron Shokley-Okeke compelled the Bears to take a timeout with 9:17 remaining and the Bison comfortably ahead, 31-22. The Bears went scoreless for a 4-minute stretch until Hobbs broke the silence with a basket under the eight-minute mark. 
• Back-to-back 3-pointers by Jaren Johnson gave the Bison its largest lead at 39-24 as Howard outscored the Bears 17-4 over a six-minute stretch.
• The Bison went into the break with a 50-33 lead. Their shooting performance from beyond the arc was a key factor, hitting an impressive 6-for-7 from three-point range.
• It was a tale of two halves as the Bears got into gear. Coming out of the intermission, Morgan quickly ignited the offense, trimming the lead to 59-44 within the first four minutes. It was clear that the second half was going to be a battle.
• Kameron Hobbs confidently buried a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 69-60 with just under 12 minutes to go. Demajion Topps added a blow-by layup, and Daniel Akitoby followed by scoring on a put back layup to narrow the gap to 69-64 with 9:47 remaining. The Bison called for a timeout.
• As the clock ticked down to the final minutes of the game, the Bears were relentless. Thomas stepped up to the free-throw line and sank two crucial shots that brought the score to 69-66. This moment marked the height of the Bears' momentum, as they were in the midst of an impressive 11-0 scoring run. However, Shokley-Okeke unleashed a deep 3-pointer that splashed through the net, momentarily halting the Bears' surge and extended Howard's lead to 78-70. 
• In a thrilling finish, Hobbs hit his fourth three-pointer of the day, narrowing the gap to just four points with only 20.6 seconds remaining on the clock. However, despite the Bears' efforts to mount a comeback, the Bison held their ground, ultimately securing a hard-fought 100-95 victory.

NOTABLE

• With the win, Howard has narrowed the gap against Morgan, bringing the series record to 67-52 in favor of the Bears. 
• Morgan's road record improves to 0-9.
• Howard has won the last three meetings against Morgan.
• Kameron Hobbs registered his seventh 20-point game of the season, and his sixth straight.
• Will Thomas has scored 259 points so far this season to move his career total to 992, needing just 8 points to reach the benchmark.

WHAT AWAITS

• The Bears return to action on Monday (Jan. 13) for a conference home matchup against the Norfolk State Spartans. Tip-off at Hill Field House is set for 7:30 p.m.

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 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.