Freshman Reggie Holmes paced the Bears with 12 points against the Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday.
Boxscore
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Morgan State men’s basketball team were topped by the Virginia Cavaliers, 85-66, on Sunday at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Bears (0-3) trailed by just 12 at halftime (42-30), but the Cavs (2-0) ended up shooting 56 percent (14-25 FG) in the second half as the Bears fell to Virginia in the first ever matchup between the schools.
J.R. Reynolds scored a game-high 17 points and the Cavaliers made 7-of-18 (39%) 3-pointers.
Will Harris added 16 points and Sean Singletary chipped in 12 points along with a game-high eight assists for Virginia.
Senior Karanvir Aujla and freshman Reggie Holmes led Morgan State with 12 points each.
The Cavaliers started the ballgame by connecting on its first three 3-pointers and built a 16-4 lead early in the first half. The Bears put together a short burst to cut the lead to 30-15 when Holmes hit a 3-pointer with 6:30 left.
Virginia answered with a surge of its own and built a 37-17 lead at the 3:57 mark behind the Cavs balanced scoring.
Virginia forced 17 Morgan State turnovers, which translated into 13 points and held the Bears to 35 percent (23-65 FG) shooting from the field.
The Cavs continued their hot shooting early in the second half and extended to a 19 point cushion. The Bears did their best to keep the ballgame close, and an Aujla 3-pointer with 4:41 left to go cut the Cavs lead to 73-60. The Cavs answered with a 9-0 run and held a 22 point lead in the final two minutes of the contest.
Senior Joseph McLean had 11 points and finished the game with seven assists. Junior Jamar Smith was the only other Bear in double-figures with 10 points.
Virginia outrebounded the Bears by a commanding 48-30 margin and outscored the MSU in the paint 38-14.
Morgan State returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 25, when they host Seton Hall in the Bears home-opener at Hill Field House. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
