Morgan State Notes | FIU Notes |   GameDay Guide |  
 Facebook.com/MorganStateBears   |    @MorganStBears

Game 9
Opponent: Florida International Panthers (2-6)
Date: Monday, December 4, 2017
Site: Baltimore, Md. (Hill Field House)
Game Time: 5:30 p.m. 
Series Record: FIU leads, 1-0
Watch: morganstatebears.com
Audio: HSRN.com
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.fiusports.com
 
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 4, 2017)-The Morgan State Lady Bears conclude their two-game homestand on Monday, Dec. 4 with a non-conference match-up against Florida International (FIU). Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. The contest will be the final home game of 2017. MSU will look to improve to 5-0 at home this season and extend its home winning streak to six straight dating back to last season.
 
A LOOK AT THE LADY BEARS: Morgan State (4-3) winners of a season-long three straight, is coming off a 55-43 victory on Saturday against New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Lexus Spears scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down nine rebounds. It was the third straight game where Spears has scored 20-plus points. Braennan Farrar scored 14 points and added five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win. Morgan State has been paced by Spears, who is averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds, while Farrar is also scoring 13.9 points to go with 6.4 rebounds. Adre'onia Coleman is recording 10.7 points and 5.0 rebounds.
 
MSU VS. FIU SERIES NOTES: The Panthers hold a 1-0 series lead over Morgan State. FIU defeated the Lady Bears, 77-60 on Jan. 3, 2012 in Miami, Fla.
 
A LOOK AT THE PANTHERS: FIU (2-6) is coming off a 69-62 loss at Howard on Saturday. The Panthers are now 0-2 this season against members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Callie Cavanaugh scored a team-high 12 points and Kiandre'a Pound recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kristian Hudson finished with 11 points and Shante Walker came off the bench to score 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Hudson leads the team with 14.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Pound is averaging 13.1 points to go with her team-high 9.0 rebounds, while Walker is coming off the bench to average 10 points and 6.8 boards per contest.   
 
NEXT UP: Morgan State hits the road on Wednesday, Dec. 6, when it travels to Huntington, W.Va. to take on the Thundering Herd of Marshall. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.
 
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 remained unbeaten at Hill Field House this season, when it defeated NJIT, 55-43 on Saturday. Morgan improved to 4-0 at home with the win. The Lady Bears' other wins included a 61-41 victory over Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 26) and two wins against Division II foes, Lincoln-Pa. (60-41) and Cheyney (123-53) in the home opener.
  
SPEARS CONTINUING TO ROLL: Senior Lexus Spears recorded her third straight 20-plus points game in the win over NJIT. Spears finished with a game-high 20 points, while shooting 9-of-14 from the floor and added a game-high nine rebounds against the Highlanders on Saturday. Her performance followed back-to-back career-high 22-point performances against Northeast Conference opponents Mount St. Mary's (11/26) and Central Connecticut (11/29). The 6-foot-2 forward, who is averaging a team-best 13.9 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds, has scored a combined 64 points, grabbed 31 rebounds, recorded four steals and eight blocks in the last three games. 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.
 
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR: Monday's contest will mark the final home game for 2017. The Lady Bears will close out the month of December with their next four games on the road. Morgan State will return to Hill Field House on Wednesday, Jan. 3 when it plays host to Maryland Eastern Shore at 5:30 p.m. in the MEAC 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 13.9 points and 7.4 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.