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Game 8
Opponent: NJIT Highlanders (0-7)
Date: Saturday, December 2, 2017
Site: Baltimore, Md. (Hill Field House)
Game Time: 2:30 p.m. 
Series Record: Morgan State leads, 2-1
Watch: morganstatebears.com
Live Stats: morganstatebears.com
Audio: HSRN.com (Heritage Sports Radio Network)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.njithighlanders.com
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 1, 2017)-The Morgan State Lady Bears return home this Saturday, Dec. 2 for a non-conference game against New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. This will be the fourth overall meeting between the two teams and the first since Feb. 11, 2015.
 
A LOOK AT THE LADY BEARS: Morgan State (4-3) looks to improve to 4-0 at home this season, while extending its home court winning streak to five straight dating back to last season. The Lady Bears are coming off a 61-41 non-conference win at Central Connecticut (11/29). Lexus Spears scored a game-high 22 points to match her career-high for the second consecutive game and had eight rebounds. Jihayah Chavis scored 12 points and Braennan Farrar added eight points, eight rebounds, a game-high six assists and a game-high four steals. Farrar leads three Lady Bears in double figures scoring with 13.9 per game, while ranking second on the team in rebounds (6.6). Farrar also leads the squad in assists (32) and steals (22). Spears is averaging 13 points and a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game. Adre'onia Coleman is third on the team in both scoring (10.7) and rebounding (5.0).
 
MSU VS. NJIT SERIES NOTES: This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams with Morgan State holding a 2-1 lead. NJIT picked up its first win in the series, following a 52-49 home victory on Feb. 11, 2015. All three previous meetings have been played at Fleisher Athletic Center in Newark, N.J.
 
A LOOK AT THE HIGHLANDERS: NJIT (0-7) enters the contest coming off a 67-49 loss at home to LIU Brooklyn on Wednesday. Taj Lewis scored a game-high 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Tatianna Torres added 10 points in the loss. Lewis leads the Highlanders in scoring with 11.7 points per game, while Torres is contributing 11 points. Torres also leads the team in steals (12) and assists (21). Danielle Tunstall is averaging a team-best 7.0 rebounds per outing and Lewis is adding 5.9 boards per game.   
 
LADY BEARS AGAINST THE ASUN: The Lady Bears are a combined 2-2 against members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Here's how Morgan State has done against the ASun: Kennesaw State (0-1) and NJIT (2-1). The Lady Bears have never met Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, North Florida, Stetson or USC Upstate.
 
NEXT UP: Morgan State will host Florida International on Monday, Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. This will be the second meeting between the two teams and the first in Baltimore. FIU won the lone meeting, 77-60 on Jan. 3, 2012 in Miami, Fla.
 
LAST TIMEOUT: Lexus Spears matched her career-high of 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds and added three blocks to lead Morgan State to a 61-41 victory at Central Connecticut (CCSU) on Wednesday. Jihayah Chavis scored 12 points, including 2-of-3 shooting from three-point range and Braennan Farrar added eight points, eight rebounds, a game-high six assists and a game-high four steals. Morgan State outscored the Blue Devils, 42-14 in the paint and forced 25 CCSU turnovers, turning them into 24 points. The Lady Bears used an 18-0 run over the course of the first and second quarters to take a 20-5 lead and held a 31-17 advantage at halftime. Morgan began the second half going on a 12-4 run to take its largest lead of the game (22 points) when Adre'onia Coleman scored on a layup to give Morgan State a 43-21 cushion with 3:28 left in the third quarter. 
 
FOLLOW THE LADY BEARS ON TWITTER: Morgan State women's basketball fans can follow the Lady Bears on Twitter. Check out regular updates on the team which will feature live tweets from games and on road trips. To follow the Morgan State Athletics Twitter page visit Twitter.com/MorganStBears.
 
DEFENDING HOME: Morgan State will look to remain unbeaten at Hill Field House this season, when it takes on NJIT this Saturday. Morgan State improved to 3-0 at home, following its 61-41 victory over Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 26). The Lady Bears other two wins came against Division II foes, Lincoln-Pa. (60-41) and a 123-53 victory over Cheyney in the home opener.
 
SPEARS DOMINANT AGAINST THE NEC: Lexus Spears apparently likes playing against the Northeast Conference (NEC). In back-to-back games this season against NEC foes Mount St. Mary's and Central Connecticut, Spears recorded back-to-back career-high 22-point games. The 6-foot-2 forward finished with a combined 44 points, 22 rebounds, two steals and seven blocks in the wins. Spears shot 10-of-17 against Mount St. Mary's and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and had four blocks and two steals. She followed that up with another 22-point outing, eight rebounds and three blocks at Central Connecticut.
 
SEARCH PARTY CALLED OFF: Morgan State put an end to its search for its first road victory of the season, following its 61-41 victory at Central Connecticut (Nov. 29). The win improved the Lady Bears to 1-3 away from Hill Field House, including 1-2 on the road. Last season Morgan State dropped its first six contests away from home.
 
THEY'RE FREE: Senior Jenessa Fauntroy is a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe through seven games this season. The 6-foot-1 forward knocked down a game-best six free throws in the opener at Syracuse (11/10). Last season Fauntroy connected on 41-of-64 (.641) from the line.
 
LADY BEARS SCORE SCHOOL RECORD 123 POINTS: The Lady Bears' 123 points in their victory over Cheyney (11/13) set a new school record for points in a game by Morgan State. The previous mark was 115 points against the University of Baltimore (1/17/83). The 70-point victory is the second largest margin of victory in school history behind an 82-point (102-20) victory over Coppin State (2/13/77).
 
MORGAN IN SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Bears are 11-30 all-time in season openers dating back to 1977, following its 95-68 road loss at Syracuse (11/10/17). It was the fourth season opening loss for the Lady Bears in five years. Morgan State at one point had lost 23 straight season openers, prior to winning three straight from 2006-08.
 
I'M BACK: Morgan State senior Lexus Spears returned to the Lady Bears this season after having her 2016-17 season cut short after three games due to a season-ending injury. Spears, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., is averaging 13.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per outing through seven games. Twice she has scored a career-high 22 points in back-to-back games against Mount St. Mary's (11/26) and at Central Connecticut (11/29) and pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds, while recording four blocked shots against Mount St. Mary's.
 
MORGAN PICKED EIGHTH IN MEAC: Morgan State was picked to finish eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason poll, as voted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Last year, the Lady Bears were picked to finish fifth, and went 9-21 overall mark and finished 7-9 in the MEAC to finish ninth. Morgan State would close out the regular season winning seven of its final eight MEAC games.
  
FARRAR NAMED TO PRESEASON MEAC SECOND TEAM: Senior guard Braennan Farrar was named to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Farrar led the Lady Bears in scoring (381) with 12.7 points per game, three-pointers made (35), steals (72) and assists (81), while shooting a team-best .786 (114-of-145) from the free throw line. Farrar, who started in 28 of the 30 games played, also averaged 34.4 minutes per contest.
 
WILLIAMS NAMED TO PRESEASON MEAC THIRD TEAM: Senior forward Tykyrah Williams was named to the Preseason All-MEAC Third Team. A year ago, Williams ranked second on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game. A native of Durham, N.C., Williams started in 26 of the 30 games played and hauled in 5.7 rebounds per outing.
 
SOMEONE NEW: Morgan State has three opponents (Iowa, Central Connecticut State and UMass Lowell) on this year's schedule which it has never faced before in the program's history.
 
PUERTO RICO CLASICO MOVES TO FLORIDA: Due to damage caused by Hurricane Maria, the tournament will now be played in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at Cardinal Gibbons High School. The Lady Bears will face Iowa on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 12:30 p.m. This will be Morgan State's second consecutive season playing in the Puerto Rico Clasico tournament.
 
REMATCH: The Lady Bears will have three rematch games this season against non-conference opponents from the 2016-17 schedule. Those opponents are Dayton, Mount Saint Mary's and Marshall. Last season Morgan State went 0-3 against those opponents.
  
UNBEATEN STREAK ON THE LINE: Morgan State enters the season with a perfect record against only one opponent on this season's schedule, West Virginia (1-0). The Lady Bears defeated the Mountaineers in their only meeting, 80-78 on Feb. 3, 1979 in Morgantown, W.Va. The team teams will meet on Monday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in Morgantown.
   
WELCOME TO THE DEN: Morgan State will welcome the addition of five newcomers to the 2017-18 squad with junior transfers, Kayla Horn (Kansas City Kansas CC) and Naomi Bolasingh (Northwest Florida State College), as well as 2016-17 junior transfers Adre'onia Coleman (Monroe CC) and Aunesha Williams (Gardner-Webb), along with freshman Kelbi Lewis (Hillside HS in Durham, N.C.).
 
SAYING GOODBYE: Morgan State will say goodbye to five seniors at the conclusion of the season. Four-year members Braennan Farrar, Tykyrah Williams and Lexus Spears along with transfers Janessa Fauntroy and Tayler Miller will be honored on Senior Night when they play their final home game at Hill Field House on Feb. 26, 2018 against crosstown rival Coppin State at 5:30 p.m.
 
2018 MEAC TOURNAMENT: The 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 5-10 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. Ticket books can be purchased at all 13 MEAC university ticket offices, the Norfolk Scope Arena, Ticketmaster outlets, the MEAC Administrative Office and online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available by calling the MEAC at 757-951-2055 or Ticketmaster at (800)-745-3000. The annual MEAC Basketball Tournament moved to Norfolk in 2013 after spending the previous four years in Winston-Salem, N.C. from 2009 through 2012.