BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 19, 2015)-Morgan State's three-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday afternoon at the hands of Bethune-Cookman, as the visiting Lady Wildcats defeated the Lady Bears, 55-48 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game at Hill Field House.
The win was the second consecutive for the Lady Wildcats at Hill Field House, as the series is now tied at 27 games apiece. Last season Bethune-Cookman defeated the Lady Bears in Baltimore on a jumper as time expired.
Bethune-Cookman (6-12, 3-3 MEAC), which never trailed in the game, was led by Kendra Cooper, who scored a game-high 18 points for the Lady Wildcats, including going 4-for-5 from three-point range. Kailyn Williams tallied a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Williams, who earlier in the day was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, also recorded a game-high eight blocked shots. Jasmine Knowles finished with 11 points and had a game-high seven assists.
Morgan State (6-12, 3-3 MEAC), which fell to 4-3 at home this season, was led by
Braennan Farrar's team-high 15 points and game-high three steals.
Tracey Carrington finished with 12 points and
Torri Chestnut came off the bench to add a season-best nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range.
The Lady Bears shot 17-of-61 (27.9 percent) from the field and were 7-of-23 (30 percent) from three-point range. Morgan State, which on Saturday shot 95.7 percent (22-of-223) from the free throw line, finished 7-of-16 from the line for 43.8 percent.
Bethune-Cookman went 19-of-50 (38 percent) from the floor, and knocked down 5-of-10 from beyond the arc for 50 percent. The guests finished the afternoon going 12-of-17 (70.6 percent) from the charity stripe.
The Lady Wildcats jumped out to a 12-0 lead nearly six minutes into the game. Morgan State finally got on the board when Farrar knocked down a deep three-pointer from the right side and was fouled. Farrar would add the free throw to complete the rare four-point play and make it a 12-4 game with 13 minutes to play.
Morgan State used a mini 7-2 run to pull within 19-14 after a basket by Farrar with 6:07 remaining in the opening half. But the guests closed out the half on a 9-5 spurt to take a 28-19 lead into the locker room.
The Lady Wildcats had built a 13-point lead (40-27) on a layup by Knowles with 13:39 to play. Morgan State responded with an 8-0 spurt triggered by a three-pointer from Chestnut from the right elbow. Carrington ended the run with a three-pointer from the right baseline to bring the Lady Bears within 40-35 with 11:41 to play.
Morgan State would get no closer, as the visiting Lady Wildcats upped their lead back to double digits and held a 10-point lead, following a layup by Lyndsey Edwards to make it a 52-42 game with 2:09 to play.
The Lady Bears will be off for a season-long 12-day layoff until Saturday, Jan. 31, when they travel to the Nation's Capital to visit the Lady Bison of Howard in a MEAC contest in Washington, D.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium.
