Score: Morgan State 82 | Delaware State 84
Location: Memorial Hall, Dover, Del.
Records: Morgan State 10-13, 4-3 | Delaware State 12-10, 4-3
The short story:  Delaware State withstood Morgan State in the final moments on Monday night, edging Morgan State 84-82 in front of an electric crowd at Memorial Hall in Dover, Delaware.  Kaseem Watson poured in a game-high 30 points to lead the Hornets to their fourth straight win.

OPENING TIP

• Watson shot 12-for-19 from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point territory, with seven rebounds in 35 minutes. Robert Smith the No. 6 ranked scorer in the MEAC, contributed 18 points (8-23 FG) with six assists, four steals and three rebounds. 
• DSU guard Martaz Robinson had a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with 15 points and four assists, while Javarzia Belton added 11 points and seven rebounds. 
• Amahrie Simpkins scored 18 of his career-high 26 points (10-12 FG) in the first half and finished with five boards and five assists.
• Will Thomas shot 6-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, and grabbed six rebounds with three assistsin 28 minutes.
• Kameron Hobbs finished with 14 points (2-9 3FG), with four rebounds and two assists, and Daniel Akitoby finished with 12 points and led the Bears on the glass with 12 boards.

THE DIFFERENCE

• Morgan State shot 44 percent (28-64) from the field, including 26 percent (5-19) from 3-point territory. The Hornets shot  39 percent (32-83) from the floor and was 5-for-21 from behind the arc.
• At the free-throw line, Morgan converted 64% (21-33) compared to DSU's 65% (15-23).
• The Hornets held a commanding edge in rebounding, with a total of 54 boards compared to MSU's 47, including 23 offensive boards for the Hornets.
• Simpkins set the tone for the Bears as he exploded for the first nine points. The momentum was amplified when Daniel Akitoby threw down a thunderous two-handed dunk, forcing the Hornets to call a timeout as they trailed 11-2 with 15:55 left in the first half. Simpkins drained a 3-pointer to notch his 12 point of the game, breaking into double-figures and pushing the Bears' lead to 14-4.
• A Euro-step bucket by Robert Smith helped ignite the crowd as the Hornets mounted a 13-3 run to kno the game at 17-17.
• Martaz Robinson hit a pair of free throws to give the Hornets their first lead of the night at 20-19 with 9:27 remaining.
• The Hornets held a 40-34 lead in the final 3 minutes, but the Bears chipped into the lead and went into the intermission trailing 44-42.
• A missed dunk by Jayden Martin led to a fastbreak layup, followed by a layup by Watson to put the Hornets ahead by 10 (62-52). The Hornets were in the midst of a 12-3 run.
• Akitoby helped keep the Bears within striking distance when he scored on a putback to trim the lead to 66-60 with 11:28 remaining.
• Hobbs hit a straight-away 3-pointer and Simpkins hit a free throw to help the Bears retake the lead at 72-71 with less than six minutes remaining. These actions were part of an impressive 11-5 run.
• Watson was fouled and converted a 3-point play with 3:53 to push the lead to 78-74.
• DSU turned the ball over, and Simpkins was off to the races, sprinting down the court like a blur Simpkins dropped off a pass to Will Thomas for a layup to cut the deficit to 78-76.
• Morgan trailed by 3, down 80-77 before Thomas scored on a jumper to cut the lead to 80-79. DSU responded when Robert Smith buried a pivotal 3-pointer to push the lead to 83-79 with 70 seconds to go. 
• The tension in the arena was palpable as the clock ticked down—a razor-close 83-82 lead hanging precariously in the balance. Martaz Robinson, a trusted figure under pressure, found himself at the free-throw line for a one-and-one with 21.8 seconds remaining on the clock, but he missed. Akitoby grabbed the rebound and the Bears called a timeout.
• The Bears turned the ball over when the inbounds pass went off the leg of Hobbs with 9.1 seconds to go.
• The Bears fouled Corey Perkins who ended up missing the front end of a one-and-one, and the Bears regained possession with 6.7 seconds left to go. Simpkins' inbounds pass bounced off Hobbs and out of bounds. Martaz Robinson was fouled with 4.9 second to go. He stepped to the line and made the first, but missed the second. the Bears found themselves just a heartbeat away from a miraculous comeback. Trailing by two points with 3.5 seconds left on the clock, the team called a timeout to draw up their final play. Rob Lawson stumbled on the inbounds catch, turning the ball over in the backcourt with 1.2 second to go. It was a heartbreaking conclusion as the Hornets held on for the 84-82 win.
   

NOTABLE

• With the loss, Morgan now leads the series record against the Hornets 66-47. 
• Morgan's road record falls to 2-11 and 0-3 against MEAC opponents.
• The loss drops Morgan's position in the conference standings, improving to 4-3 in league play.
• Will Thomas has scored 332 points so far this season, bringing his career total to 1,065 points… surpassing Maurice Jennings (1974-78) for the No. 24 spot on Morgan's all-time scoring list.

WHAT AWAITS

• The Bears return to action on Saturday, Feb. 15 against the South Carolina State Bulldogs. Tip-off in Orangeburg is set for 4 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. 
• Follow us on social media:
 Facebook: /MorganStateBears
 Twitter: @MorganStBears
 Instagram: /MorganStateBears
Blue Sky: @MorganStBears

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.