Dover, Del. (Jan. 16, 2016) --- Delaware State rallied from a 24-point first half deficit to tie the score late in the contest, but faltered down the stretch of a 90-79 MEAC loss to South Carolina State at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Center today.

The Bulldogs dominated the first half, opening up an 18-4 advantage in the in the first nine minutes and holding their biggest lead, 42-18, on a three-point shot by Ed Stephens with four minutes to go before halftime.

The Hornets outscored SC State 15-9 during the remainder of the half to trail 51-33 at the break.

Delaware State started quickly in the second half to get back into the game. The Hornets outscored the Bulldogs 17-2 to start the half, and pulled to within 55-50 on a three-pointer by Dana Raysor with 14:08 left to play.

DSU hit six of its 11 shots during the rally, including three-pointers by Devin Morgan and Scott Sill, in addition to Raysor.

The Hornet defense forced the Bulldogs into two-for-seven shooting from the field and forced two turnovers during the span.

After South Carolina State scored the next four points to open up a 59-50 lead, the Hornets answered with an 8-2 run to pull closer. Sill knocked down his third three-pointer of the game to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 61-58 at the 9:28 mark of the second half.

SC State led 68-60 before the Hornets rallied again to tie the game.

Morgan hit a lay-up and Raysor nailed another three-pointer to pull the Hornets to within 68-65.

About a minute later, DSU completed the comeback when Artem Tavakalyan hit a three-point shot from the right corner to tie the score at 68-68 with 5:15 remaining in the game.

The Bulldogs regained the lead, 71-68, when Stephens hit a three-pointer on their next possession.

After a follow-up basket by Mrdjan Gasevic pulled the Hornets to within 71-70, Stephens knocked down threes on the next two SC State possessions to give his team 77-70 lead with 3:08 left to play. His three-pointer at the 1:31 mark of the half gave him nine straight Bulldog points and put his team ahead 80-70, dashing the Hornets' comeback hopes.  

Stephens tied for game-high scoring honors with 22 points, highlighted by seven three-point field goals (seven-for-14).  Eric Eaves came off the bench to also score 22 for the Bulldogs. He also led the team with five assists.   

"We played about as well as have all year in the second half, but the poor start was just too much for us to overcome," said Delaware State head coach Keith Walker.  "We made some defensive adjustments at the half and we executed much better after the break to get back into the game."

The Hornets outscored SC State 46-39 in the second half.

Morgan led DSU with 21 points and also dished out four assists. He was seven-for-14 from the field, including two three-pointers, and five-for-six at the free throw line.

The point total was his second-best of the season. He had a career-high 27 points at Morgan State last Saturday.

Sill came off the bench to finish second on the Hornets with a career-high 12 points on four three-point shots, also a career-best.  He had nine points in the second half to help key DSU's second half surge.

"Scott is a big man can shoot the three-point shot, which helps keep the defense honest," said Walker. He gave us a big lift in the game."

Raysor added 11 points, while DeAndre Haywood tallied 10 points and tied for game-high honors with five assists.      

After shooting 35.7% in the first half (10-for-28), DSU hit 17 of its 33 shots in the final 20 minutes (51.5%).

South Carolina State shot 47.7% for the game. The Bulldogs were 31-for-65 overall from the field, including 10-of-26 on three point shots (38.5%).

Delaware State fell to 0-2 in the MEAC and 1-15 overall. South Carolina State won its fourth straight game to improve to 9-10 this season and 4-1 in the MEAC.

The Hornets wrap-up their two-game road-swing at Savannah State on Monday. The Martin Luther King Day contest begins at 8 p.m., following the DSU/SSU women's game in Savannah, Ga.

Delaware State returns home next Wednesday (Jan. 20) at 4:30 p.m. to resume its suspended Jan. 11 game against Howard. The Bison were ahead 41-38 when the game was halted at the 15:41 mark of the second half.

STINGERS
Delaware State had 11 three-pointers vs. SC State, its second-best total of the season … the Hornets had four double-figure scorers for the second time this season (Dec. 19 vs. Temple) … Morgan had a string of 15 consecutive made free throws snapped with a first-half miss vs. SC State … Tavakalyan also had a career-high eight points in the contest. … the Hornets have dropped their last three games at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Center.