Men's Basketball | March 07, 2018

Box Score NORFOLK, Va. -- Bethune-Cookman's run for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship ended Wednesday as Morgan State posted a 78-77 victory over the Wildcats in the tournament quarterfinals at the Scope.

Tiwian Kendley sank two free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining, and Brandon Tabb's driving lay-up at the buzzer went in-and-out as the Bears advanced to Friday's semifinal.

Tabb finished with a game-high 30 points, while Soufiyane Diakite double-doubled with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Tabb gave B-CU a 72-70 on a three-pointer from nearly half-court with 1:33 remaining. B-CU was 0-18 from three-point before that. 

Martez Cameron tied it at 76 on a three-pointer with 36 seconds left. Bethune-Cookman regained the lead on an Isiaiah Bailey free throw that made it 77-76 with 12 seconds left.

Kendley led the Bears with 31 points. Phillip Carr added 16 points and 12 rebound.

Bethune-Cookman led 37-26 at halftime and led by as many as 13 in the second half before Morgan State (13-19) made its run to make it a  close game.

Earlier, Morgan State jumped out to a 14-5 lead on a Carr jumper with 15:38 remaining.

Tabb got B-CU going by scoring the first six points on a 10-0 run as Bethune-Cookman took a 15-14 lead on Houston Smith's lay-up with 11:18 left.
The Bears held the lead briefly before a 6-0 Wildcat run put them ahead. B-CU built its lead to 35-25 on a Tabb lay-up and went into the locker room up 37-26.

Tabb had 15 first-half points as the Wildcats held Morgan State to 9-38 shooting from the field and pulled down 33 rebounds.   

Bethune-Cookman is now 18-14.