The Morgan Bears fell in a close game to conference rival North Carolina A&T at the Hill Field House Monday night 76-70.

The Bears’ offense started slowly in both halves—a problem the Aggies didn’t have as they began the game with threes and offensive rebounds. 

With help from guard Andre Jackson, the team managed a five-point lead with approximately five minutes left in the first half. 

The Bears’ offense resurrected in the last three minutes of the first half, as the team attempted an unusual amount of threes. However, Morgan didn’t have an answer and the team finished with three players in double digits and 15 assists. 

“That’s not who we are, look at the result—we went 15 percent,” head coach Kevin Broadus said. “We’re not here for the home run plays.”

Sophomore Malik Miller, who finished the game with 10 points and four assists, expressed his disappointment in the team’s free throw performance—to include his own.

“You’re not going to win a ball game if you miss that many free throws,” Miller said. 

Miller missed a pair of free throws that would’ve tied the game. Instead, the Aggies knocked down Morgan’s free throws, made a few layups and won the game. 

The Bears not only lost the game, but they also lost Kyson Rawls—a key part of their offense. He went down with a lower leg injury in the closing minutes of the first half and finished the game with 12 points off the bench.

“He’s the x-factor on this team, so I think we’ll miss him a lot,” Miller said. 

On the contrary, the Lady Bears, who rank sixth in the conference, secured their five-game winning streak Monday night and handed the women Aggies their first loss of the season.

The Morgan Bears (9-12) are set to face off against Coppin State (5-15) on Saturday at 4 p.m.