Freshman DeWayne Jackson added 19 points with 5 boards and 2 blocked shots against the Hornets.
Boxscore
Bear Shots
BALTIMORE, Md. – Morgan State outscored Delaware State 25-4 in the final six minutes to pull out an exciting come from behind victory at Hill Field House.
Morgan State (13-7, 5-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) extended its home record to 28-5 under head coach Todd Bozeman. The Bears also improved its win streak against conference opponents to 10 straight since last season.
Reggie Holmes scored 28 points, hitting a career-high 18-of-20 free throws to erase Delaware State's lead in the second half, and Morgan State handed the Hornets its second conference loss of the season, 72-62 on Saturday night.
“It was a gritty effort,” said Morgan's Todd Bozeman. “To be down 13 in the half to that team (Delaware State) is a lot bigger than that.” 'They did a great job of taking Kevin [Thompson] out of the game, but Reggie and DeWayne [Jackson] stepped up big for us.”
Freshman DeWayne Jackson added 19 points (6-8 FG) along with two steals and two blocks and was a valuable factor on the defensive end to help spur the Bears in the second half.
Morgan State had a tough time slowing down conference standout Frisco Sandidige. The 6-foot-6 senior forward scored 24 points for Delaware State, including six points as the Hornets closed the first half with a 17-3 run and led 39-26 at the half.
Delaware State (8-8, 3-2 MEAC) outplayed the Bears in just about every facet in the opening stanza. The Hornets scored 15 points off of 13 Morgan State turnovers, and shot 14-for-27 from the field (51.9%) and was 5-for-10 from 3-point territory.
Morgan State then locked down on defense in the second half. Jackson was given the assignment of defending Sandidge, and the young freshman was up to the task. Sandidge scored a basket to help give the Hornets a 49-41 lead with 10:26 remaining in the game. It turned out to be his last basket of the game.
The Bears held the Hornets to 39.1 percent shooting, including 1-for-3 from beyond the arc. Morgan State tied a season-best by shooting 54.4 percent (18-33 FG) for the game.
“DeWayne is a valuable asset,” explained Bozeman. “He did a great job on [Frisco] Sandidge in the second half and Troy Smith did a great job on Marcus Neal. So it was a team effort.”
Marcus Neal added 21 points and eight rebounds for Delaware State.
“It was very big, very big,” said Holmes about bouncing back from the halftime deficit. “We've been doing it all year. We have to stop digging that hole in the first half, and come out with intensity from the start of the game.”
Morgan State went ahead for good when Holmes hit two free throws to make it 60-58 with 3:33 left.
Holmes and Jackson combined for 18 of the Bears' final 25 points as Hornets went nearly five minutes without a basket.
Joe Davis chipped in 9 points for the Bears off the bench, while Danny Smith finished with a game-high five assists.
Morgan State has won four straight, including five of its last eight games, and remain in first place in the conference.
The Bears will be back in action on Monday night when they host conference opponent MD-Eastern Shore. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Hill Field House.
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