umbcgam
81
Winner UMBC UMBC 2-1,0-0 America East
79
Morgan St. Morgan 1-2,0-0 MEAC
Winner
UMBC UMBC
2-1,0-0 America East
81
Final
79
Morgan St. Morgan
1-2,0-0 MEAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UMBC UMBC 45 36 81
Morgan St. Morgan 34 45 79

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | MSU Athletics Communications

UMBC Escapes Bears with Last-Second Shot

BALTIMORE, Md. (Nov. 11, 2025) – DJ Armstrong knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer in the final seconds to lift UMBC to an 81-79 victory over Morgan State on Tuesday night at Hill Field House. The loss drops the Bears to 1-2 on the season, while the Retrievers improve to 2-1.
 

OPENING TIP

• Elijah Davis led the Bears with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting, adding a game-best eight assists in 37 minutes of action.
• Alfred Worrell, held scoreless in the first half, erupted for 16 points in the second, connecting on 5-of-9 shots from beyond the arc.
• Walter Peggs Jr. poured in 14 points—10 of them in the first half—while Christian Oliver added 10 points and five rebounds. Christian Meek finished with eight points and eight boards.
• Daylon Dickerson led the Retrievers with a double-double. The junior forward had 18 points on 78 percent shooting (7-for-9) and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Ace Valentine followed with 12 points, seven assists, and five boards.


THE DIFFERENCE

• Morgan State shot 42.9 percent (30-of-70) from the field and went 9-of-19 from three-point range. UMBC countered with 57 percent shooting overall and 9-of-24 from deep.
• The Bears converted 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the free-throw line, while the Retrievers finished at 66.7 percent (16-of-24).
• Both teams pulled down 33 rebounds apiece, with Morgan State holding a 14-6 edge on the offensive glass. UMBC narrowly outscored the Bears 38-36 in the paint.
• Defensively, Morgan State forced 18 turnovers while committing just nine of their own.
• The game was a clear tale of two halves, with the Retrievers setting the tone early and controlling the pace through a dominant 23-9 run.
• Morgan State saw its deficit grow to as many as 15 in the first half, but timely scoring from Walter Peggs Jr. helped keep the Bears within striking distance. Peggs closed the half with 10 points, trimming the gap to 11 at intermission.
• The Bears came out of the locker room with a completely different level of energy and determination. Peggs set the tone early, staying aggressive and adding a pair of free throws to start the half. However, it was veteran guard Elijah Davis who provided the offensive spark, scoring seven straight points to cut the deficit to 52-47 in favor of UMBC. Davis was instrumental in Morgan State's second-half surge, relentlessly attacking the basket in transition and keeping the defense on its heels.
• After a first half with no lead changes and one-sided momentum, the second half delivered a completely different story — featuring 10 lead changes and a thrilling finish inside Hill Field House.
• With 4:12 remaining, an Ace Valentine rebound led to a Daylon Dickerson layup that tied the game at 68. From there, UMBC went ice-cold, failing to convert another field goal until just 24 seconds remained.
• Morgan State's largest lead came at 77-71 before Valentine went on a personal 5-point run, sinking a pair of free throws and a deep three to pull the Retrievers within one. However, a costly inbounds turnover by Davis turned into a UMBC layup, giving the visitors a 78-77 advantage with 17 seconds left. Davis drove hard to the rim on the ensuing possession, but his go-ahead layup attempt was met by multiple defenders, and he was slow to get up after the collision. The veteran point guard was helped off the floor, leaving Morgan State in need of a clutch bucket. And it came from none other than Walter Peggs Jr., who delivered an incredible, contested layup to put the Bears ahead by one with seven seconds remaining.
• But UMBC wasn't done yet — on their final possession, DJ Armstrong rose to the moment, draining a clutch three-pointer to reclaim the lead and seal the 81-79 victory. 



NEXT UP
The Morgan State Bears will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Erie, Pennsylvania, to take on Mercyhurst University. The Bears will then return home to Hill Field House next Tuesday to face North Carolina A&T at 7 p.m.


FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
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• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official website 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.

 
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