Okolue scores 24, Delaware St. downs Morgan St. 87-80

Mar 2, 2018, 02:10 pm

DOVER, Del. -- Simon Okolue scored 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting, Artem Tavakalyan hit five 3-pointers and scored 22 points with four steals, and Delaware State held off Morgan State 87-80 on Thursday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Jonathan Mitchell scored 12 points for the Hornets (4-27, 2-14 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), who shot 55.4 percent from the field to split the season series with the Bears, who entered ranked seventh in the conference.

Saleik Edwards' 3 with 2 seconds left put the 13th-ranked Hornets up for good and gave Delaware State a 37-34 halftime lead.

Tavakalyan's 3 sparked a 12-2 run for a 19-point Hornets' advantage, but Phillip Carr's 3-point play sparked a 14-3 run and the Bears closed to 78-74 on Stanley Davis' layup with 1:57 left. The Hornets led by eight after a 5-1 run, but Carr's free throws cut it to 85-80 with 33 seconds to go before Okolue iced it with a dunk.

Martez Cameron and Tiwian Kendley scored 16 points apiece, Carr added 15 points, Antonio Gillespie had 12 and Davis 10 for the Bears (11-18, 7-9).