BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 4, 2017)-Playing in their first game of the New Year, the Morgan State Lady Bears opened up the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) schedule at home on Wednesday evening against Norfolk State. Unfortunately, the visiting Spartans would defeat Morgan State, 56-47 at Hill Field House.
 
The win ended a two-game losing skid for the Spartans (6-7, 1-0 MEAC), who improved to 21-15 all-time against Morgan State. The Lady Bears' (2-12, 0-1 MEAC) losing skid reached a season-high six games, while also falling to 1-3 at home.
 
Norfolk State's Kayla Roberts finished with a double-double with a team-high 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Dominique Harper also added 12 points, while finishing with seven rebounds and a game-high six assists. Khalilah Ali scored 10 points and recorded a game-high four blocked shots and tied a game-high three steals. Jordan Strode contributed 10 points, to become the fourth Spartan starter to score in double figures. Norfolk State would get 51 of its 56 points out of its starting five.
 
Braennan Farrar led Morgan State with 13 points, six rebounds and a team-high three assists. Chelsea Mitchell finished with nine points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds, while Ivy Harrington came off the bench to score nine points and added six rebounds, as Morgan State held a 53-41 rebounding advantage over the Spartans.
 
Norfolk State would shoot 40 percent (20-of-50) from the floor and went 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) from the free throw line. Morgan State shot 16-of-70 (22.9 percent) for the game, including just seven percent (1-of-14) from three-point range. Like Norfolk State, the Lady Bears would also shoot an identical 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
 
After being limited to just four points in the opening period, the Lady Bears played Norfolk State to a 12-12 tie in the second quarter. Morgan State would still trail by 12 points at the intermission, 28-16.
 
The Spartans held their largest lead of the game (16 points) when Roberts scored on a layup with 6:37 left in the third period to take a 32-16 lead. Morgan State used a 7-0 run to get within nine points at 32-23, following a jumper by Jayde Duncan at the 3:05 mark. Norfolk State would take a 36-25 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Tykyrah Williams scored on a layup with 8:04 left in the game to brake a two-minute scoring drought by both teams and cut the deficit to nine points (36-27).  Two free throws by Mitchell got the Lady Bears within seven points at 44-37 with 2:43 left, but Morgan State could get no closer.  
 
The Lady Bears will head to the Sunshine State this weekend for its first MEAC roadtrip of the season. Morgan State will first face defending MEAC regular season champion Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. at Dayton State College in Daytona Beach, Fla., before taking on the Rattlers of Florida A&M on Monday, Jan. 4 at 6 p.m. in Tallahassee.