Men's Basketball MSU Athletic Communications

Morgan holds off Utah Valley in overtime to win opening round of Jamaica Classic

MSU face Queens University in the Rose Hall Division Championship on Sunday, Nov. 20th.

Score: Morgan State 73 | Utah Valley 72
Location: Montego Bay Convention Centre, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Records: Morgan State 2-3 | Utah Valley 2-2
The short story: Morgan State senior guard Malik Miller recorded a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds and dished a pass to Khalil Turner for a pivotal 3-pointer in overtime to lead the Bears to a 73-72 win against Utah Valley Friday night at Montego Bay Convention Centre in opening play of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic.

OPENING TIP
  • Miller connected on 8-of-12 from the floor and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for Morgan.
  • Senior guard Isaiah Burke added 15 points and connected on 3-of-7 3-pointers with three boards and a blocked shot.
  • Senior Khalil Turner was he only other Bear to score in double-figures as he finished with 14 points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists. 
  • Sophomore 7-foot center Aziz Bandaogo led the Wolverines with 15 points (5-7 FG) to go along with eight rebounds and five blocks.
  • Junior guard Le'Tre Darhard scored 12 points with six boards, and junior guard Justin Harmon chipped in 11 points (5-5 FT).
  • Senior guard Xavier Castaneda scored 16 points with six boards and sophomore Nate Johnson also scored double figures with 11 points.
THE DIFFERENCE
  • Morgan turned over Utah Valley 20 times.
  • Morgan played to a 35-32 halftime lead in a highly contested game at Montego Bay Convention Centre. 
  • The Bears limited Utah Valley to shooting .345 percent (20-58) from the field and a dismal 4-of-24 (.167%) from beyond the arc.
  • Morgan shot .459 (28-of-61) from the field and connected on 7-of-19 (.449) from 3-point range.
  • Lewis Djonkam buried a pair of free throws with 51 seconds remaining in regulation, but Trey Woodbury's pass to LeTre Darthard led to a layup to knot the game at 68-68 with 16 seconds remaining. Isaiah Burke missed a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left as the teams went into overtime. 
  • Enrique Freeman hit a jumphook to retake the lead for the Zips at 46-44 and a layup by Garvin Clark was goaltended to extend to a 48-44 edge.
  • The Bears outscored Utah Valley 5-4 in the extra session and two free throws by Toto Fagbenle with 42 seconds to go proved to be the difference as Morgan held on for a 73-72 victory.
  • The Wolverines held a 43-33 advantage on the glass and finished the game with nine blocked shots.
  • Malik Miller scored on a layup to give Morgan a 33-23 lead with 3:12 remaining in the first half, it was the largest lead of the game.
NOTABLE
  • Friday night's game marked the first meeting between the teams.
  • The win snaps a 2-game skid for the Bears.
  • It marked Morgan's first overtime victory since Jan. 10, 2022 when Morgan recorded an 88-81 win at South Carolina State.
  • It was Utah Valley's second consecutive overtime loss ... the Wolverines lost at Wake Forest, 68-65, on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
UP NEXT
The Bears will advance to the Rose Hall Division Championship on Sunday, November 20th at 5:00 p.m. versus Queens University before wrapping up the road swing at Loyola Marymount (Nov. 23). The Jamaica Classic will be streamed live by HBCUGO.

For more information on the 2022 Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic, please visit the official tournament website.