Score: Morgan State 75 | Coppin State 82 OT
Location: PEC, Baltimore, Md.
Records: Morgan State 13-17, 7-7 | Coppin State 6-23, 4-10
The short story: Sophomore forward Khalil Horton scored a career-high 28 points to lead Coppin State to an 82-75 overtime victory against crosstown rival Morgan State on Thursday night at PEC Arena. The Eagles closed the regular season at 6-23 overall and 4-10 in the MEAC while the Bears fell to 13-17 on the year and 7-7 in league play.
OPENING TIP
- Horton hit 7-of-12 from the floor with a career-high six threes and also made a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line, also setting a career-high.
- Derrius Ward scored 15 points with five rebounds, three assists and a block.
- Kameron Hobbs scored 23 points (9-17 FG) with five boards in 42 minutes.
- Daniel Akitoby added 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds with two blocked shots.
- Will Thomas scored 12 points (4-9 FG) with seven assists, six boards and four steals.
THE DIFFERENCE
- Morgan State shot 48 percent (27-56) from the field, including 22 percent (2-9) from 3-point territory. The Eagles shot 44 percent (28-64) from the floor and was 9-for-22 from behind the arc.
- Morgan shot 19-for-24 (79%) from the free throw line, compared to Coppin's 77 percent (17-22).
- The Bears held a commanding 46-24 advantage on the boards, and outscored the Eagles 38-32 inside the paint.
- The Eagles scored 13 points off of fastbreaks, compared to Morgan's 6.
- Coppin's bench outscored the Bears by a 16-11 margin.
- Will Thomas scored on a driving hook shot to break a 14-14 tie. Hobbs scored on back-to-back fastbreak layups as part of a 6-0 spurt to give the Bears a 20-14 lead. Coppin used a timeout to regroup with 8:49 remaining.
- Morgan's zone defense caused problems for the Eagles' offense as the Bears, increased their lead. A Hobbs 3-pointer gave Morgan a double-digit lead at 28-18.
- Morgan went into the break witha 32-23 advantage.
- The Eagles came out of the halftime locker room with renewed energy, igniting a 13-4 run fueled by a barrage of three-pointers. Derrius Ward connected on their fourth three-pointer of the half, further tightening the score and bringing them within a single point of the lead at 42-41. The momentum was clearly shifting, setting the stage for a tense and closely contested second half.
- Peter Aduro was fouled on a drive and split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 51-51 with 8:16 remaining. The Bears responded when Hobbs went on a 6-0 run by himself to propel Morgan to a 59-53 advantage.
- The Bears took a 64-62 after splitting a pair of free throws followed by a cold-blooded pullup 3-pointer by Hobbs over Cam Brown to push the lead to 67-62 with 1:14 left.
- With the Eagles trailing, 69-66 following a layup by Ward, Brown forced a turnover, and Sparrow found Horton on the wing, and he was fouled shooting a three with 16 seconds remaining. Horton buried all three free throws and Morgan missed a jumper just before the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
- In the extra session, Horton opened with a 3-pointer to take the lead followed by another three by Ward to push the lead to 75-69.
- Morgan answered with a basket by Will Thomas and Daniel Akitoby hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 75-73 with under 3 minutes to go.
- Horton scored on a straightaway 3-pointer to give the Eagles a 78-73 lead sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
- A pair of Bears free throws made it a one-possession game before Brown converted on a jumper with just under a minute remaining. Coppin forced another turnover and Ward made both free throws with 17 seconds left to seal the win.
NOTABLE
- With the loss, Coppin increases their series record to 64-42.
- Morgan's road record drops to 2-13.
- Kameron Hobbs registered his 14th 20-point game of the season, and his 19th straight game in double-figures.
- Will Thomas will enter the MEAC Tournament with 1,161 career points, and Hobbs enters with 1,057 career points
- Morgan's record dropped to 9-2 overall, 5-1in conference when leading opponents at the half.
WHAT AWAITS
- The Bears return to action next week in the MEAC Tournament inside Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
MEAC TOURNAMENT | Bracket
The No. 5 seeded Morgan State will battle the No. 4-seeded Howard Thursday, March 14th in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament. Tip is slated for 6:00 p.m. at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
The 2025 MEAC Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination tournament featuring both the conference men's and women's teams. The quarterfinal and semifinal games will broadcast live on ESPN+.
The men's finale will begin at 1 p.m. and will broadcast live on ESPN2.
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 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.
