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Morgan State 68, Howard 66 (OT)
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Guard Justin Black hit a fallaway 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left in overtime to give Morgan State a 68-66 victory at Howard on Thursday night in Washington.
Howard took a 66-65 lead on a tip-in by junior guard Prince Okoroh with 8.9 seconds left. Morgan State then got the ball to Black, a 6-foot-2 senior, who finished with 20 points.
Morgan State (13-15, 11-5 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) finished the regular season tied for third place in the conference. The MEAC tournament begins Monday in Norfolk, Va.
The finish ruined a career-high, 22-point performance by Howard walk-on forward Solomon Mangham. The 6-7 forward made six 3-pointers, including two in the final eight minutes of regulation as Howard rallied from an eight-point deficit to force the extra session.
Howard (7-24, 5-11) finished the regular season in a five-way tie for ninth place in the 13-team league.
Thursday was Senior Night at Howard, but the Bison — the second-youngest team in Division I — didn’t have anyone to honor. The two seniors who started the season on the roster left the team.
One of nine freshmen for the Bison, guard James Daniel, is the leading scorer in the MEAC, but he finished with just 13 points, nine fewer than his average.
The first half was closely contested, with neither team leading by more than five points. Howard grabbed an early lead, but senior guard Anthony Hubbard came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer to swing the advantage Morgan State’s way. The Bears didn’t trail again in regulation.
In the second half, Morgan State point guard Blake Bozeman, the son of coach Todd Bozeman, scored all 10 of his points, including five in a row as the Bears went on an 8-0 run to take a 56-48 lead. However, in the final 10 minutes of regulation, Morgan State scored only two more points.
