S.C. State Topples Bethune-Cookman

Photo: SCSU head basketball coach Tim Carter records first MEAC Tournament win over Bethune Cookman Wildcats.

Jason Flagler scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as No. 8 South Carolina State rallied past No. 9 Bethune-Cookman for a 78-69 win in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament first-round game on Tuesday night at the RBC Center.

The Bulldogs (13-19) advance to a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game on Wednesday against top seed Morgan State. The Wildcats’ season ends at 11-21.

Flagler scored nine points in a decisive second-half run that gave SCSU the lead for good. After a three-point play by Bethune-Cookman’s Kevan Creppy tied the game at 56 with 6:27 left, the Bulldogs went on a 15-4 spurt over the next three and a half minutes to take a 71-60 lead. Flagler started the run with two free throws, and also added a put-back, a three-point play and a short jumper off the glass.

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