Dover, Del. (Feb. 18, 2013) --- Tahj Tate hit a three-point shot with 51 seconds left to play and Delaware State made two defensive stops in the closing moments of a thrilling 52-50 come-from-behind MEAC men's basketball win over Morgan State in Memorial Hall Monday evening.
The Hornets trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, and was behind 29-18 at the break. DSU outscored Morgan State 34-21 in the second half, holding the Bears to 6-for-24 shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes.
Tate led three Delaware State players in double figures with 12 points. He also had a team-high three assists. Marques Oliver had 11 points to give him 1000 for his career. He scored the milestone point on a lay-up with 10:10 left to play. Casey Walker chipped in with 10 points, while Kendall Gray led the Hornet defense with five blocks. Gray also had a team-high eight rebounds.
Dewayne Jackson and Justin Black led Morgan State with 10 points each.
Morgan State dominated the early stages of the game. The Bears opened up their biggest lead, 26-10, on a follow-up basket by Jackson with 5:26 left in the first half.
The Hornets needed a three-point shot by Oliver with two seconds left in the first half to pull to within 29-18 at intermission.
Delaware State trailed 36-24 before beginning its comeback.
Walker capped off a 12-0 Hornet run with a dunk off a steal from Tate to tie the game at 36-36 with 11:49 left in the second half. Walker and Tate had four points each during the rally.
Morgan State quickly regained the lead when Black hit a three-point shot on the ensuing possession. The Bears also scored on their next two possessions, and opened up a 44-38 lead on a basket by Anthony Hubbard with 8:47 showing on the second half clock.
The Hornets outscored the Bears 8-1 over the next three-and-half minutes, and took their first lead of the game, 46-45, on a free throw by Tate with 5:00 remaining.
Morgan State answered with a 5-0 run, and opened up a 50-46 lead on two free throws by Black with 3:09 left.
Tate hit a short jumper in the lane before nailing the go-ahead three-point shot.
Morgan State had two possessions after the Tate three-pointer but Jackson missed a three-point attempt with 24 seconds left and Blake Bozeman missed a desperation heave from near mid-court as time expired.
After hitting just 7-of-34 shots in the first half (20.6%), the Hornets were 12-of-20 from the field in the final 20 minutes (60.0%).
Delaware State has won its last two games to improve to 12-13 overall and 7-4 in the MEAC.
Each of the last four games between the Hornets and Bears has been decided by three points or less.
The win was number 193 with the Hornets for head coach Greg Jackson, pulling him to within eight of the team record 201 by Bennie George (1947-71).
Delaware State returns to action on Saturday against MEAC leader Norfolk State. Game time is 4:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall.
