RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 27, 2016)-Micaela Parson scored a game-high 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting to lead four Richmond players in double figures scoring, as the Spiders defeated visiting Morgan State, 54-37 in a non-conference game at Robins Center.
The win was the sixth straight for the Spiders over Morgan State in as many meetings. Richmond, which is on a two-game winning streak, improved to 6-7 on the season, while Morgan State dropped its fourth straight and fell to 2-10 on the season.
Lauren Tolson recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Jaide Hinds-Clarke and Janelle Hubbard each added 10 points.
Morgan State was led by Chelsea Mitchell, who finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Braennan Farrar also added nine points and became the 14th player in the program's history to score 1,000 points.
Trailing 35-21 early in the third quarter, Farrar scored on a layup with 7:27 remaining in the period to give her exactly 1,000 points for her career.
The Spiders took their largest lead of the game at 21 points (48-27) on a jumper from Parson with 7:59 remaining in the game. The guests would get no closer than 15 points after a layup by Jayde Duncan with 1:59 to play.
Richmond would outscore the Lady Bear, 24-16 in the paint and held a slim 14-12 advantage in points off turnovers. Both teams forced 17 turnovers. The Spiders also held a 12-4 cushion in fast break points and a 14-10 advantage in bench scoring.
Morgan State held a 7-6 lead, following a basket by Chelsea Mitchell with 4:30 remaining in the first quarter, but the host Spiders would close out the period with an 11-2 spurt to take a 17-9 advantage after one quarter of play.
The Spiders would then continue their run, by scoring the first six points to start the second quarter and take a 23-9 lead on a jumper by Parson with 8:41 left in the period to cap off what would be a 17-2 run over the course of nearly seven minutes.
A layup by Zuri White at the 7:12 mark of the second quarter ended Richmond's run and triggered a mini 6-0 run for the guests and make it a 23-15 game. The Lady Bears would get within seven points (27-20) when Williams hit a deep three-pointer with 1:32 left in the half.
Richmond however would score the last four points of the quarter to take a 31-20 halftime lead.
Morgan State finished the game shooting 13-of-52 (25 percent) from the floor and was just 1-for-10 from three-point range. The Lady Bears shot 77 percent (10-of-13) from the free throw line, while Richmond went to the charity stripe just four times and made two. The Lady Bears had just four assists in the game.
The Spiders connected on 45 percent (25-of-55) of their shots and was 2-of-13 (15 percent) from beyond the three-point arc. Richmond had 11 assists on its 25 made baskets with Parson and Kylie Murphree each recording four assists. The Spiders also held a 40-32 rebounding advantage over Morgan State.
Morgan State will close out 2016 this Saturday, Dec. 31 when it plays host to the Brown Bears. Tip-off is noon at Hill Field House. It will also be the final non-conference game of the season for the Lady Bears.
