Corin Adams tallied 19 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds against SC State.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Feb. 9, 2009)-Corin Adams scored 14 of her game-high 19 points in the second half and Erin Hawkins and Brittany Dodson each added 12 points, as the visiting Lady Bears defeated South Carolina State, 62-59, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game on Monday evening at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
Adams, who also added a career-high 11 assists, finished with eight rebounds, two shy of earning her second career triple-double, as the Lady Bears ended a season-long three-game losing skid, while recording their fifth straight victory over South Carolina State.
Morgan State (14-9, 6-4 MEAC) fell behind 10-2 five minutes into the game. The Lady Bears faced their largest deficit of the game of nine points (12-3), following a jumper by Sophilia Hipps at the 13:18 mark and again at 16-7, after a jumper by Samantha Daniels with 10:44 remaining.
The Lady Bears responded with a 12-6 run in the span of six minutes after a three-pointer by Dodson to pull Morgan within, 22-19 with 4:32 left in the opening half. South Carolina State would score the final five points, capped off by a trey by Hipps, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 27-19 halftime advantage.
Morgan State, which trailed the entire first half, got back in the game by way of the three-point shot. Trailing 31-24, the Lady Bears used a 17-10 spurt to tie the game at 41 apiece. Hawkins began the run with a layup and then connected on a three-pointer. Tireion Turner later hit a three-pointer from the left corner and Hawkins hit her second trey of the game to bring the guests within 41-39. Adams' steal and layup then tied the score at 41 with 11:01 left in the contest.
After a SCSU free throw put the hosts up by a point, Adams came down and hit a three-pointer to give Morgan State their first lead of the contest at 44-42, which triggered a 7-0 spurt by the guests, who led 48-42 with 9:04 left in the game.
South Carolina State (5-16, 2-7 MEAC) would not go away and regained the lead, 59-58 on a three-pointer by Hipps from the right elbow with 2:03 remaining. However, it would be the Lady Bulldogs final points, as Adams calmly knocked down four consecutive free throws for the Morgan State win.
The Lady Bulldogs were led by Hipps, who tallied a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Shontavious Wylie also added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Marie Reid fell shy of a double-double, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Lady Bears return home on Saturday, Feb. 14, to take on the Rattlers of Florida A&M in a MEAC contest at Hill Field House. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
