Dominisha Britton scored a team-high 16 points Monday night.
Boxscore
NORFOLK, Va. (Feb. 13, 2006)-For head coach Donald Beasley and his coaching staff, it’s becoming an all too familiar scene for the Morgan State women’s basketball team. Play hard and build a lead, only to fail to close out in the end.
That was the case once again on Monday night, as the Lady Bears squandered a late four–point lead and watched host Norfolk State connect on 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to defeat Morgan State, 75-71, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at Echols Hall.
Norfolk State’s Ashley Bowman scored 15 of her game-high 23 points in the first half and Toia Johnson added 15 points, including the Spartans’ final three points at the free throw line to secure the victory. Areya Walker recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Nadege Dareus added 10 rebounds.
Morgan State (3-18, 3-9 MEAC) trailed 63-58 with 7:11 to go, before going on a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the game at 67-63, following two free throws by Whitney Johnson. The Lady Bears would cling to a three-point lead (71-68) on a layup by Sarissa Gaskins with 2:56 left in the contest, but that would be Morgan’s final points. The Lady Bears final four possessions resulted in two turnovers and back-to-back missed layups, which would have reclaimed the lead.
Meanwhile, the Spartans (7-15, 4-9 MEAC) scored the game’s final seven points all at the charity stripe, by connecting on 7-of-8 attempts to close out the game.
In a game which had seven ties and 14 lead changes, Norfolk State put together a mini stretch to lead by as much as seven points (31-24) in the first half and held a 37-34 advantage at intermission.
The Spartans, who shot 41.8 percent (28-67) for the game won the battle on the boards (51-41), points in the paint (32-22), fast break points (12-0), as well as slim advantages in second chance points (15-13) and points of turnovers (23-21).
Morgan State, which shot just 25-for-66 (37.9 percent) from the field, including 25 percent (5-of-20) from beyond the arc outscored the Spartans, 23-9 in bench points.
Dominisha Britton scored a team-high 16 points on four three-pointers, including 4-for-5 from the free throw line. Johnson added 14 points, while Latricia Jones grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Lady Bears return home for a 2 p.m. MEAC contest against South Carolina State on Saturday, Feb.18 at Hill Field House.
