Game 16 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Contest)
Morgan State "Lady Bears" (4-11, 1-2 MEAC)
vs. Maryland Eastern Shore "Lady Hawks" (5-7, 2-0 MEAC)
Date: Monday, Jan. 12, 2015 / 5:30 pm
Place: Baltimore, Md. (Hill Field House)
Series: UMES leads, 40-32
Game Notes
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Audio
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan 11, 2015)-The Lady Bears, fresh off a 64-55 MEAC win at Delaware State (1/10), begin a three-game homestand starting with a MEAC match-up against the Lady Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) on Monday, Jan. 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. This will be the 73rd meeting between the two teams with UMES holding a 40-32 all-time series lead.
 
UMES, which hasn't played a game since Dec. 30, enters the contest unbeaten in league play and is in a first-place tie with defending MEAC champion Hampton. According to Morgan State senior captain Tracey Carrington, defense and free throw shooting will be key for Morgan State in handing the Lady Hawks their first MEAC loss of the season.
 
Such was the case in the win Saturday at Delaware State, as the Lady Bears connected on 27-of-36 from the free throw line, while its defense forced 21 Hornet turnovers, which they turned into 24 points to take control of the game.
 
"Beating UMES will solely rely on our defense and getting to the free throw line and making our free throws," said Carrington. "We're a tough team when we go on our runs, especially at the free throw line. I think that if we come out with a lot of energy and our bench can contribute, then we'll have a shot at winning the game."
  
BEAR CLAWS: The Lady Bears (4-11, 1-2 MEAC) picked up their first MEAC win of the season, when they defeated host Delaware State, 64-55 in Dover, Del. on Saturday. Senior guard Tracey Carrington, who had missed the previous seven-and-a-half games due to an injury prior to halftime at Bucknell (12/3), scored 18 of her game-high 24 points in the second half and added six rebounds in her return. Freshman Braennan Farrar added 14 points and four assists in the win. Fellow freshman Zuri White continues her dominance on the glass, as she recorded a game-high 12 rebounds for Morgan State. Carrington has paced the Lady Bears this season, scoring 19.9 points and adding 5.3 rebounds per outing. Farrar is contributing 11.8 points and leads the team in assists (42) and steals (31). White is grabbing a team-leading 6.7 rebounds per game and ranks second on the team in steals with 23.
  
ABOUT THE LADY HAWKS: The Lady Hawks (5-7, 2-0 MEAC), who have not played since an 86-73 home win over Monmouth (12/30), ended a three-game skid with the win to conclude the 2014 year. Alexis Udoji led four Hornet players in double figures scoring, finishing with a game-high 22 points and adding 10 rebounds, while Moengaroa Subritzky also recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. TeAmber Burke came off the bench to score 20 points and Shawnee Sweeney finished with 12 points. Jessica Lane tallied a team-high six assists and had a game-high five steals in a reserve roll. UMES has been led by Long, who is averaging 11.9 points per game and leads the team in assists (37) and steals (24). Udoji is scoring 11.7 points and leads the team in rebounding with 9.0 per outing and in blocks with 27.
 
MSU VS. UMES SERIES NOTES: The Lady Hawks lead the all-time series, 40-32, following a 91-46 home victory over Morgan State in last season's lone meeting in Princess Anne, Md. (2/17/14).
   
NEXT UP: The Lady Bears will host the Lady Rattlers of Florida A&M in a MEAC contest on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. at Hill Field House.
    
BEASLEY TWO WINS SHY OF SCHOOL RECORD: Morgan State head coach Donald Beasley, who is in his 10th year at the helm of the Lady Bears, is two wins shy of becoming the program's all-time coaching leader. Beasley, who currently ranks second on the school's all-time list with a mark of 121-166, earned his fourth win of the season on the road against Delaware State (1/10/15). LaRue Fields (122-60 from 1979-85) is the school's all-time leader.
 
TRACKING CARRINGTON: Tracey Carrington entered the season with 1,137 career points, which ranked ninth all-time at Morgan State. Carrington, who had missed seven-and-a-half games due to an injury, scored a game-high 24 points in her return at Delaware State (1/10) to give her 1,296 points for her career to move past former Lady Bear Whitney Cunningham (1,287 points from 2004-07) for sixth-place. She now needs 279 more points to move into second all-time in scoring at Morgan State.
 
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE: Braennan Farrar recorded a season-high nine assists in the win over Wesley (11/18). As a team the Lady Bears recorded 19 assists in that game. She added a team-high four assists at Delaware State (1/10), giving her a team-leading 42 assists in 15 games.
 
WHITE NAMED MEAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: MSU freshman Zuri White was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week by the league office on Jan. 6. The Durham, N.C. native totaled 26 rebounds, 11 points, two assists and three steals to help the Lady Bears to a 1-1 week. The 5-foot-8 guard grabbed a then career-high 12 rebounds (five defensive) and added two steals and scored nine points in a win over UMBC (1/1). It was Morgan State's first win over a Division I opponent this season. White, who leads the Lady Bears in rebounding with 6.4 boards per game, then set a career-high 14 rebounds (eight defensive) and had two assists and a steal against Brown (1/4).
 
A NEW YEAR: Morgan State began the 2015 portion of its schedule on the road against crosstown rival the University of Maryland Baltimore County (1/1) and earned a 54-46 victory. The Lady Bears improved to 4-6 in their first game of the new year under the direction of head coach Donald Beasley. Prior to the UMBC win, Morgan State's last win to start the new year was a 56-46 win at home over Howard (1/8/11).
 
LOSING SKID ENDS AT EIGHT: Morgan State started the New Year off right, following a 54-46 victory at UMBC (1/1). The win ended a season-long eight-game losing streak. Last season the Lady Bears had a 15-game losing streak.
 
REMATCH: The Lady Bears had three rematch games this season against non-conference opponents from the 2013-14 schedule. Those opponents were Wesley, Stony Brook and Brown. Last season Morgan State went 1-2 against those opponents with its lone win coming over Wesley. This season the Lady Bears again finished 1-2 with the lone victory once again coming against Wesley (1/18).
 
WELCOME HOME: Morgan State assistant coach Ed Davis made his third return to Memorial Hall (1/10) and helped the Lady Bears go 3-0 in Dover, Del. against the Hornets. Davis, who served as head coach of the Hornets for 12 seasons, concluded his career at Delaware State's as the program's winningest coach with a 178-182 mark. He guided the Hornets to a MEAC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2007, a MEAC regular season co-championship (2003-04), five MEAC championship game appearances and the only 20-win seasons (four) in team history.