ORANGEBURG, SC—Senior Jason Johnson posted another double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds but it wasn't enough as South Carolina State dropped a heartbreaking 66-56 loss to top-ranked Morgan State at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center Monday.
Morgan State was led by senior forward Marquise Kately with 19 points, while junior guard Reggie Holmes added 15 points and grabbed six rebounds in the victory.
South Carolina State jumped out to a seven point lead, 16-9 with at the 12:06 mark on a layup by Jason Johnson. Morgan State sparked a 9-2 run off a jumper by Marquise Kately to tie the game 18-18 with 9:20 left in the first-half.
Reggie Holmes hit a jumper at the 4:18 mark to give the Bears their first lead of the night 26-25. A dunk by Jason Flagler closed out the half and gave SC State a one point lead, 31-30.
Morgan State controlled the second-half jumping out to a 10 point lead, 58-48 on a 3-pointer by Reggie Holmes with 4:53 left in the game. SC State pulled within six, 58-52 on a dunk by Jason Johnson with a 1:51 left in the game.
A tip-in by Jessie Burton cut the lead to four, 60-56 with 0:57 seconds left. The Bears secured the 66-56 victory hitting 11-14 from the free-throw line down the stretch.
Morgan State improves to 14-10 overall and 8-2 in the MEAC, while SC State drops 10-12 overall and 5-5 in the league.
The Bears was also led by freshmen Kevin Thompson with 14 points and Ameer Ali added eight points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Senior's Jessie Burton tossed in 12 and Josh Jackson added 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss for the Bulldogs.
South Carolina State will return to action on Saturday when they will host the visiting Pirates of Hampton in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader. The women's contest will begin at 2 p.m., and the men will follow with a 4 p.m. tip-off.
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