Kevin Thompson collected his 18th double-double of the season.
Boxscore
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Kevin Thompson had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Ameer Ali added 10 points to help the Bears pull out a come-from-behind 65-61 victory over MD-Eastern Shore on Monday night.
Reggie Holmes, one of the leading scorers in the nation, was held well below his average of 22 point per game, however he hit critical free throws in the final seconds to help the Bears clinch their third consecutive regular season Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. The win also guarantees postseason play for the Bears.
The Bears, who improved to 21-9 overall and 12-1 in the conference, got a lot of help down the stretch as the Hawks wasted away opportunities from the free throw line.
With the score knotted 56-56 with 1:27 remaining on the clock, the Hawks went 1-for-5 from the stripe. Meanwhile the Bears went 4-for- 7 from the stripe, including three by Holmes, which turned out to be the difference in the ballgame.
Tim Burns finished with a game-high 23 points (7-10 FG) for MD-Eastern Shore (9-19, 7-7 MEAC), which has not beaten Morgan State in four seasons. Kevin White added 16 points with seven assists and Neal Pitt recorded 11 points with 14 points off of the bench for the Hawks.
The Hawks led 34-27 at halftime, but they were facing the best team in the league and the second half proved to be the difference.
The Bears trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, but the Bears regained the lead on back-to-back 3-point plays by Kevin Thompson, followed by Troy Smith to give the Bears a 43-41 (10:30) advantage and its first lead since scoring the opening basket of the contest.
Thompson, who entered the game ranked No. 5 in the nation in rebounding (11.7 rpg), was once again a monster in the low-post for the Bears as the sophomore collected his 18th double-double of the season.
UMES was held scoreless during a five minute stretch during the second half as a result of the Bears defensive pressure.
The Bears struggled through the first 20 minutes of action, while MD-Eastern Shore did just about everything right. The Hawks finished the first half shooting 48 percent (13-27 FG) from the field and connected on 5-of-10 3-pointers, while Morgan State shot just under 35 percent (10-29) and was frigid from 3-point territory (0-9). The Bears stayed within striking distance by converting 7-of-12 free throws.
Morgan State will host Norfolk State on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Hill Field House. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Game Notes
MSU was outrebounded by the Hawks by a 43-37 margin
The Hawks shot 5-of-10 from 3-point territory in the first half, and went 1-for-2 in the second half; MSU shot 0-for-15 from beyond the arc
Reggie Holmes went 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point territory
