Senior guard Justin Black showed off his “clutch gene” by nailing a game-wining three-point shot with only one second left in overtime, powering the Morgan State University (MSU) Bears to a 68-66 victory over the Howard University Bison in the regular season finale on March 6 at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C.
Black’s game-winner came moments after Howard junior forward Prince Okoroh had made his own potentially game-winning shot. Okoroh scored on an offensive rebound and tip-in shot that gave Howard a 66-65 lead with less than 10 seconds left.
Unfortunately for Howard, Black was able to get off his clutch three-pointer to steal the win.
“Justin Black made an unbelievable shot,” said Howard Coach Kevin Nickelberry, according to Howard Sports Information. “I was proud of the way these guys battled. I feel bad for them because we deserved to win. We never quit and played well again against one of the top teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.”
Black told MSU Media Relations after the game that his game-winner was simply a “rhythm shot.”
“I was having a good year, so I was glad it went in,” Black said, according to MSU Media Relations. “It was one of those things where it was an icing on the cake type of thing.”
Black finished with a team-high 20 points for Morgan State. Senior guard Anthony Hubbard added 13 points off the bench for the Bears and junior guard Blake Bozeman also scored double digits with 10 points.
Howard freshman center Solomon Mangham scored a game-high 22 points off the bench in the loss. Freshman guard James Daniel was the only other player in double digits for Howard, with 13.
Morgan State finished its regular season with a 13-15 overall record and 11-5 in the MEAC, good for fourth place in the conference standings. Howard, on the other hand, finished with a dismal 7-24 record and 5-11 in the MEAC. Both teams will appear in the MEAC Tournament, scheduled to start March 10 in Norfolk, Va.
