Seniors Brittany Dodson (12) and Theresa Davis (24) helped Morgan State advance past UMES on Wednesday.
Bear Shots
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (March 9, 2011)-Theresa Davis scored all nine of her points in the second half and Brittany Dodson collected eight of her team-high 10 points after intermission to help Morgan State hold off Maryland Eastern Shore, 43-39 in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
With the win, the Lady Bears ended a three-game losing skid in the MEAC Tournament and now hold a 4-3 advantage over the Lady Hawks in MEAC tournament action.
The Lady Bears (17-13), the Number 2 seed, jumped out to an early lead, bolting out to a 20-6 lead before the Lady Hawks (12-19), the Number 7 seed, closed out with a 6-4 run. Morgan State led 24-12 at the intermission.
“We got off to a good start and did a pretty job of executing our offense,” said Morgan State head coach Donald Beasley. “It gave us a cushion and that was important.”
The Lady Bears maintained a 10-12 point advantage through the early part of the second half until UMES mounted a spirited comeback, outscoring Morgan State, 21-10 over a 14-minute span to take its first lead at 33-32 at the 6:42 mark on a basket by Casey Morton. The rally was led by Adobi Agbasi and Morton, who combined for 14 second half points.
“The other team is going to make a run; you expect that,” said Beasley. “We had to put in some extra fight. You have to give them Maryland Eastern Shore some credit for fighting back. They may have run out of gas. At this point, we will take them any way we can.”
It was the third game in five days for UMES. The Lady Hawks head coach Fred Batchelor admits it may have been a factor, but would not use it as an excuse.
“My hats are off to Morgan State and their efforts today,” said Batchelor. “We had to face a lot of adversity, playing so many games in a short span, falling behind early and playing with a short bench. But we battled back and had a chance to win. I could not be prouder of this group and the effort that they showed today.”
The low scoring contest turned into a seesaw battle that featured three lead changes and three ties in the last three minutes. Davis and Dodson scored their team's last 11 points. Davis, who had missed four straight games, prior to the season finale at Coppin State due to an injury, did most of her damage in the post while Dodson was clutch at the free throw line, converting on all four of her attempts.
“Coach (Beasley) is always stressing the importance of hitting our free throws late in games,” said Dodson, who recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. “We lost our poise a little but we regained it and were able to make the plays that we needed to get the win and advance.”
Amber Cook of UMES led all scorers with 12 points, while Agbasi contributed 11 and had a game-high three blocks.
The Lady Bears held a 44-39 rebounding advantage over UMES. Kyla Rollins, who finished with seven points, pulled down nine boards and Davis added eight boards.
Morgan State will take on the winner of the No. 6 Howard University/No. 3 North Carolina A&T game in the semifinals on Friday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m.
Howard University Sports Information Director Mr. Edward Hill contributed to the majority of this release.
