Score: Morgan State 102 | North Carolina Central 98
Location: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Records: Morgan State 7-11, 1-1 | North Carolina Central 7-10, 1-1
The short story:  Kameron Hobbs delivered a career-defining performance by scoring a stagering 40 points, leading Morgan State to a thrilling 102-98 double-overtime victory over North Carolina Central on Tuesday night at Hill Field House.
 

OPENING TIP

• Hobbs connected on 13-of-24 from the field, including 11-for-13 from the free throw line and added seven rebounds in 47 minutes.
• Will Thomas recorded a double-double with 29 points (8-12 FG) and 10 boards in 39 minutes.  Amahrie Simpkins added 15 points (7-14 FG), five rebounds and five assists.
• Daniel Akitoby grabbed 10 rebounds and registered a game-high 6 blocked shots. 
• Perry Smith Jr. and Isaac Parson paced the Eagles with 19 points apiece. Smith added a game-high 12 rebounds, while Parson finished with 7 boards and a game-high six assists.
• Jaqai Murray scored 16 points with 9 rebounds, while Po'Boigh King had 15 points (6-14 FG) in 45 minutes.

THE DIFFERENCE

• MSU shot 45 percent (34-75) from the field, including 38 percent (5-13) from 3-point territory. The Eagles shot 45 percent (34-75) from the floor and was 9-for-21 from behind the arc.
• Morgan shot 29-for-37 (78%) from the free throw line, compared to NCCU's 58 percent (21-36).
• The Eagles held a 47-43 advantage on the boards, and outscored the Bears 42-38 inside the paint. 
• The Eagles scored 16 points off of fastbreaks, compared to Morgan's 13.
• NCCU's bench outscored the Bears by a 42-7 margin.
• The score was tied 41-41 at the intermission, as Kameron Hobbs led all scorers with 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting…he was also the only player to score double-figures.
• In a thrilling climax to a tightly contested matchup, Morgan found themselves trailing 40-35 with just over a minute left in regulation. Amahrie Simpkins scored on a crucial layup with 64 seconds remaining on the clock. However, following a timeout, Po'Boigh King was whistled for a traveling violation, giving Morgan a golden opportunity. With the game hanging in the balance, Hobbs was fouled by Dionte Johnson with just 36 seconds remaining. He stepped up to the free-throw line, coolly sinking both shots to narrow the gap to 40-39. In a dramatic sequence, Jaqai Murray was then fouled and sent to the line with 18 seconds left; unfortunately for the Eagles, he could only convert one of his two attempts, leaving them with a precarious 41-39 lead. Just when it seemed like Morgan might fall short, Hobbs emerged as the hero, hitting a clutch pull-up jumper in the waning seconds to tie the game, sending it into overtime.
• The Bears found themselves clinging to an 88-85 lead after Daniel Akitoby stepped up to the line and sank two crucial free throws with just 11 seconds remaining in the first overtime.  However, the Eagles were not done. Isaac Parson launched a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into the second overtime for another round in a fiercely contested battle.
• Thomas delivered a crucial baseline jumper, propelling the Bears to a 97-95 lead with just 1:34 left in the second overtime. The tension in the arena was palpable as Jaqai Murray found himself at the free-throw line a mere 70 seconds later, but his struggle to convert only one of the two shots left the Eagles trailing closely at 97-96. Amahrie Simpkins then showcased his composure under pressure, driving into the paint for a vital basket that extended their lead to 99-96. However, Perry Smith Jr. wasn't ready to let the game slip away; he promptly set up Murray for an easy layup, narrowing the Bears' lead to a slim 99-98. With 38 seconds remaining, the Eagles called for a timeout, hoping to strategize their final push. But as the clock wound down, it was Hobbs who emerged as the hero for the Bears, nailing a stunning three-pointer in the final seconds to seal a dramatic 102-98 victory.

NOTABLE

• With the win, Morgan has narrowed the gap against NCCU, bringing the series record to 56-43 in favor of the Eagles. 
• Morgan's home record improves to 7-3.
• Morgan has won the last three meetings against NCCU.
• Kameron Hobbs' career-high 40-point effort was his sixth 20-point game of the season, and his fifth straight…it was also the most by any Morgan State player since Tiwian Kendley scored 41 points against Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 19, 2018.
• • Redshirt senior forward Will Thomas has his sights set on a grand as he rapidly approaches his 1,000th career point. The Baltimore product has scored 235 points so far this season to move his career total to 968, needing just 32 points to reach the benchmark.
• Kevin Broadus notched his 76th win as Morgan State head coach.

COACH BROADUS SAID IT

Overall thoughts on the win…
"The game before last, the tougher team won. We gritted and gutted it out. I think the tougher team won it today. They're a good ball club. What happened was we stayed tough and made our free throws. Kam, Will and everybody contributed for us to win.It was a good team win.

On strategy going into overtime…
"Rebounding and defense was our main thing. We know we can score, we just have to defendn better. Rebounding… we just gave up too many second shots, but at the end we perservered through it."

On Hobbs' 40-point game…
"I played a lot of basketball, I scored a lot of points and I've never scored 40 points. That was impressive and he's in a zone right now. He's playing well and hopefully he can keep it up."

WHAT AWAITS

• The Bears return to action on Saturday (Jan. 11) for a conference road matchup against the Howard Bison. Tip-off at Burr Gymnasium is set for 4 p.m.

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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.