SC State Falls Short 72-65 To Defending Champion Morgan State

ORANGEBURG, SC—All-MEAC senior guard/forward Jason Flagler tossed in 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while senior Arsenio Williams chipped in 13 but fell short to defending MEAC Champion Morgan St. 72-67 televised live on ESPN2 Saturday at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

Morgan State was led by sophomore Kevin Thompson with 14 points and a game-high 20 rebounds, while DeWayne Jackson added 19 in the victory.

Jason Flagler hit a jumper at the 7:23 mark to put the Bulldogs ahead 10, 26-16. SC State controlled most of the first half until the Bears cut into the lead seven, 29-22 off a layup by Ali Ameer with 2:48 left in the half.

Freshman guard Tyvon Williams nailed a 3-pointer along with a steal and assist to Jason Flagler closed out the first-half with SC State leading by 11, 34-23.

South Carolina State out-rebounded Morgan State 28-21 in the first-half along with forcing nine turnovers.

Bennett's jumper to start the second-half put the Bulldogs ahead 13, 36-23 at the 19:09 mark. A DeWayne Jackson 3-pointer sparked a 21-4 run by the Bears and gave them the lead for the first time of the night four, 40-44.

Troy Smith nailed a 3-pointer to extend the Bears lead to nine, 42-51 at the 11:38 mark.  Free-Throws down the stretch seemed to be the deciding factor as Morgan St. shot 30-46 from the line to hold on to the 72-67 victory.

Carrio Bennett added 10 points for the Bulldogs, while Reggie Holmes contributed hit 11-13 from the free-throw line to finish with 11 points on the night.

Morgan State improves to 11-7 overall, 4-0 in the MEAC, while SC State falls to 7-7 overall, 1-2 in the league.

SC State will face Coppin State in an MEAC doubleheader with the men's contest beginning at 4 p.m., following the women's game at 2 p.m.

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