Score: Morgan State 72 | South Carolina State 86
Location: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Records: Morgan State 6-11, 0-1 | South Carolina State 7-9, 1-0
The short story:  Drayton Jones scored a team-high 20 points to propel South Carolina State to a 86-72 victory over Morgan State in the conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House.

OPENING TIP

• Jones connected on 8-of-15 from the field, including 4-for-7 from the free throw line and added six rebounds in 20 minutes.
• Davion Everett scored 18 points (6-8 FG) with a game-high eight boards with three assists in 31 minutes off the bench. Omar Croskey added 17 points (6-9 FG), six rebounds and three steals.
• Kameron Hobbs scored a game-high 22 points on 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. 
• Daniel Akitoby scored 12 points (6-7 FG), while Will Thomas scored 12 points and Rob Lawson added 10 points and four assists.

THE DIFFERENCE

• SCSU shot 55 percent (33-60) from the field, including 45 percent (5-11) from 3-point territory. The Bears shot 53 percent (26-49) from the floor and was 5-for-12 from behind the arc.
• Both teams struggled from the free throw line - Morgan shot 15-for-26 (58%) from the free throw line, compared to SCSU's 58 percent (15-26).
• The Bulldogs held a 35-27 advantage on the boards, and outscored the Bears 48-34 inside the paint. 
• The Bears scored 17 points off of fastbreaks, compared to SCSU's 10.
• SCSU's bench outscored the Bears by a 37-10 margin.
• The score was tied at 10-10 in the opening minutes before Will Thomas was fouled on a layup and converted the 3-point plays to help jumpstart the Bears. Hobbs dropped in a 3-pointer that shifted the score to 16-11 in favor of the Bears with 15:20 left on the clock. The Bulldogs quickly regrouped and launched a 12-0 run. The highlight of this stretch was a thunderous dunk by Drayton Jones that propelled SCSU to a 23-16 lead with just 12 minutes remaining in the half.
• Morgan trailed 23-22 after Kiran Oliver caught an alley-oop from Thomas.
• SCSU outscored the Bears 16-7 during a 7-minute stretch and a 3-pointer by Wilson Dubinsky gave the Bulldogs its largest lead of the half at 39-29 with 3 minutes left in the half.
• SCSU held a 46-37 lead at the break. Davion Everett paced the Bulldogs with 11 points (4-6 FG), while Kameron Hobbs led the Bears with 12 (5-8 FG).
• Morgan trailed 50-41, before Rob Lawson buried a 3-pointer that shifted the game's energy. Following that shot, Lawson drove hard to the basket for a layup, capping off a swift 7-0 run that brought Morgan within striking distance at 50-48.
• As the game progressed, the Bears cut into the lead following a pair of free throws by Hobbs, narrowing the Bears' deficit to just two points at 52-50 with under 14 minutes remaining. However, the Bulldogs, determined to seize control, swiftly retaliated with a 10-0 run that left the Bears reeling. The pivotal moment came when Davion Everett secured a rebound and converted it into a putback basket, pushing the Bulldogs' lead to 62-50.
• Morgan found themselves fighting hard to keep pace with the Bulldogs, particularly after Daniel Akitoby delivered a powerful dunk that narrowed the gap to just four points, making the score 69-65 with 5:19 left on the clock. Despite this moment of hope, the Bears struggled to find their rhythm in the closing minutes. SCSU capitalized on the momentum, executing down the stretch. As the final minutes ticked away, they outscored Morgan 17-7, ultimately sealing the game with a commanding performance. 
   

• The win by SCSU improves their series record against Morgan to 47-42.
• SCSU's road record improves to 4-8.
• Morgan drops to 6-3 at home.
• The Bears fall to 0-7 when allowing an opponent to shoot 50 percent or better.
• Kameron Hobbs' 22-point effort was his fifth 20-point game of the season, and his fourth straight.
   

WHAT AWAITS

• The Bears return to action on Monday (Jan. 6) for a conference home matchup against the North Carolina Central Eagles. Tip-off at Hill Field House is set for 7:30 p.m.

FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
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• 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.