Baltimore, Md. (Jan. 23, 2010) --- The Delaware State men's basketball team sent a message to first place Morgan State, despite coughing up a 15-point second half lead in a 72-62 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) loss to the league-leading Bears at Hill Field House this afternoon.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Hornets, who fell to 8-8 overall and 3-2 in the MEAC. The defending champion Bears won their fifth straight to improve to 13-7 and 5-0. Delaware State also lost its sixth straight to Morgan dating back to the 2007-08 season.
Delaware State led 39-26 at the break, and opened up a 41-26 lead after scoring the first basket of the second half with 18:36 left to play. Morgan State rallied to outscore the Hornets 26-6 in the final 7:14 of the game.
"I thought we played extremely well for the first 35 minutes, but suffered some mental lapses down the stretch," said Delaware State head coach Greg Jackson. "You have to play a complete game to defeat a championship team like Morgan State. We will use this effort as a learning experience as we prepare for Coppin State on Monday."
Morgan State outscored DSU 46-23 in the second half. The Bears enjoyed a big advantage at the free throw line. MSU was 29-for-38 at the stripe, including 22-of-28 in the second half. The Hornets were 8-for-12 at the line for the game; and just one-of-three in the final 20 minutes.
Morgan State's Reggie Holmes, the MEAC's top scorer, led all players with 28 points. Holmes was 4-for-9 from the field, including two three-pointers, and 18-of-20 at the free throw line. Freshmen DeWayne Jackson added 19 for the Bears.
Frisco Sandidge was high scorer for the Hornets with 24 points. He was nine-for-12 from the field and nailed each of his six free throws. Marcus Neal tallied a career-high 21 for DSU. His performance included three three-pointers and 4-of-4 shooting at the free throw line. Neal also led all players with eight rebounds.
Morgan State led by as many as eight points in the early going before the Hornets stormed back. Sandidge capped off a 9-0 run with a lay up to give DSU an 18-17 lead with 7:58 left in the first half.
The teams traded baskets over the next three minutes before the Hornets took control to close out the half.
Delaware State outscored the Bears 17-3 in the final 4:31 of the first half. The Hornets hit six their last eight shots in the half, including two three pointers. DSU also forced the Bears to miss each of their three shots and commit four turnovers during the stretch.
Delaware State will close out a four-game road swing with a visit to Coppin State Monday evening. The 7:30 contest will air live on ESPNU.
