BALTIMORE, Md. – Phillip Carr posted a double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Kyle Thomas made a shot with less than a minute to go to give Morgan State a 58-56 win over the Norfolk State men's basketball team on Wednesday night in both teams' MEAC opener.
 
In a contest that featured 13 lead changes, including seven in the second half, both teams had chances to win. It was the Bears, though, who had the momentum late in the game. The Spartans did not lead for close to nine minutes until junior Zaynah Robinson got a bucket with less than a minute left for a one-point edge. But the Bears responded on the other end.
 
Robinson broke a four-minute scoring drought for the Spartans with a 3-pointer from the left wing with 3:18 left. He then made another trey from almost the same location less than a minute later to tie the score at 54-54. On the other end, Carr sank 1-of-2 from the line with 1:02 left, but Robinson answered with a drive to the hoop for two for a 56-55 lead with 43.6 seconds left.
 
Kyle Thomas, however, made a jumper from beyond the right elbow with 30.1 seconds left to put the Bears ahead by one again. That's when NSU got the ball back with a full shot clock. But it was not to be, as NSU had two decent looks at the basket in the last possession. Both clanked off the rim, and Carr made 1-of-2 from the free throw line with 1.4 seconds on the clock.
 
The Spartans still had a chance down by two with 0.9 on the clock but could not get a desperation shot off while inbounding the ball.
 
NSU fell to 3-12 overall with its third straight loss and 0-1 in the conference, while MSU saw its record move to 1-0 as well as 4-10 overall.
 
Robinson and senior Jonathan Wade each scored 13 points to lead the Spartans. NSU shot 40 percent from the floor while holding the Bears to 33 percent. A total of 19 turnovers, along with a 3-of-17 effort from beyond the arc, hurt the Spartans. A 5-of-12 second-half shooting performance from the free throw line in the second half also did the Spartans no favors.
 
Carr had eight points early on for Morgan State as the lead seesawed several times. Neither team grabbed momentum until the Spartans went up 23-15 with seven minutes left after a 12-2 run. Wade finished a 3-point play during that time, and junior Alex Brown capped it with a difficult jumper in the lane over a defender.
 
Less than a minute later, junior Jordan Butler's slam gave the Spartans their biggest lead of the half, 25-16. NSU, though, went four and a half minutes without scoring, allowing the Bears to cut into the deficit with six straight points. Junior Dan Robinson had a couple of buckets late in the half, and the Spartans went into the break ahead 29-24.
 
The Bears scored seven of the first nine points of the second half, and then Antonio Gillespie made his second straight 3-pointer to put Morgan State ahead for the first time since the 9:40 mark of the first half. The Spartans went back ahead, going up 40-37 after sophomore Alex Long sank a jumper from the foul line at the 11:40 mark. The Bears then took the lead back thanks in part to two made free throws after a Spartan technical foul.
 
Wade got it right back after making two free throws and a bucket in transition, but MSU tallied seven straight to pull ahead 48-44 with eight minutes left in the game. From there, the Bears held NSU at bay until Robinson made his late 3-pointers.
 
He made 3-of-6 from long range for the night, accounting for NSU's only made treys, as well as 5-of-12 overall. Wade added six rebounds, and Butler totaled seven to help the Spartans to a 44-39 edge on the glass.
 
MSU shot less than 30 percent in the first half and 20-of-60 for the game. The Spartans made 22-of-55 overall.
 
Long added nine points for NSU. For the Bears, Carr made 10-of-20 from the floor and 8-of-12 from the free throw line. He was joined in double figures by Thomas (10).
 
The Bears outscored the Spartans 14-7 in points off turnovers and 14-6 on second-chance opportunities.
 
NSU plays its first home conference game of the season on Saturday when the Spartans host Savannah State at Echols Hall beginning at 6:30 p.m. It will mark the start of a stretch in which NSU plays six of eight games at home.