ATHENS, Ga. (Nov. 14, 2014)-The Morgan State Lady Bears basketball team started off the 2014-15 season with a 68-36 non-conference loss at the University of Georgia on Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum. The game was the first-ever meeting between the two programs, as the Lady Bears fell to 0-6 against Southeastern Conference opponents, while the Lady Bulldogs improved to 29-1 all-time against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opposition.
Tiaria Griffin scored a game-high 20 points and accounted for all three of the Lady Bulldog's made three-pointers. Merritt Hempe finished 10 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds, as Georgia improved to 33-9 in season openers.
Morgan State was led by its senior captain,
Tracey Carrington, who finished with a team-high 13 points. It was the 34
th consecutive game that Carrington scored in double figures. She would also add a game-high three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Freshman
Tykyrah Williams chipped in with five points, two rebounds and a steal.
"I started one senior, three freshmen and a sophomore and I told them that you [Georgia] have better athletes, stronger athletes," said Morgan State head coach
Donald Beasley following the game. "Our skill didn't show up because they were intimidated. The kids didn't quit and this level of play is another level.
"Coach [Andy Landers] called his dogs off he could have scored 100 tonight. He could have pounded it inside and he let everyone play, I appreciate that. But my kids are learning and they kept fighting and maybe they can understand that this level is just another level."
A three-pointer by Morgan State's
Danielle Robinson cut Georgia's lead down to 12-5 with 13:48 to play in the opening half, before the hosts went on a 14-0 run over the next seven minutes to increase their lead to 26-5 with 6:40 remaining until the intermission.
The Lady Bears finally got some offense going, using an 8-4 run over the final 4:32 to cut the deficit to 30-13 at the break.
Morgan State shot 23 percent (6-of-26) from the floor, including 1-for-6 from the three-point arc in the first half. Georgia shot 12-of-33 (36.4 percent) and was 0-for-9 from three-point range.
The hosts began the second half on a 12-0 run a little under three minutes to extend its cushion to 29 points at 42-13 with 17:14 to play. A three-pointer from Griffin capped off a 17-6 spurt over an eight minute span and gave the Lady Bulldogs their largest lead of the night (41 points) at 68-27.
A free throw by Torri Chestnet stopped the run, as the Lady Bears closed out the final 3:11 with a 9-0 run to close the gap to the games' final score.
The Lady Bears shot 25.9 percent for the game, connecting on 15 of the 58 shots they took, including 2-of-13 (15 percent) from three-point range.
The hosts held a 54-35 advantage in rebounds over Morgan State with Krista Donals and Erika Ford each adding six rebounds apiece. The Lady Bulldogs shot 78 percent (11-of-14) from the free throw line, while Morgan State was 4-for-8 for 50 percent.
Both squads struggled with turning the ball over in the opener. Morgan Sate turned it over 29 times, while forcing Georgia into 25 turnovers.
Robinson led Morgan State with a game-high four steals, as the Lady Bears recorded 17 steals for the game. Georgia, which had 21 steals, was led by Griffin and Marjorie Butler who each had a game-high four steals.
"The speed of the game, tempo of the game, it's another level," said Coach Beasley of what he's looking for the Lady Bears to take from this game and improve on. "We play each other all the time and play against some guys now and then, but we don't get females this size with this much athleticism. So it's an eye-opener for them."
Morgan State will conclude its road trip to the Peach State when it visits the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Sunday, Nov. 16. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. at the McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta. The contest will be the first meeting between the two programs. Georgia Tech is coming off a 92-57 road victory at Loyola Chicago on Friday.
