HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (Dec. 6, 2017)-Morgan State nearly overcame a slow start and a 15-point 3rd quarter deficit, but in the end it was too much, as the Marshall Thundering Herd held off Morgan State, 73-68 on Wednesday evening at Cam Henderson Center.
Morgan State (6-4) had its season-long four-game winning streak snapped, while Marshall improved to (3-5) and 3-3 at home.
Shayna Gore led the hosts with a game-high 26 points and Talequia Hamilton added 19 points and had a game-high 11 rebounds to record a double-double, as Marshall improved to 3-0 all-time against Morgan State.
The Lady Bears were led by
Lexus Spears, who finished with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting to lead four Morgan State players in double figures scoring.
Braennan Farrar scored 17 points and recorded a game-high six steals, while Kayla Horn scored a season-best 16 and had a team-high five rebounds. Tayler Miller came off the bench to add 10 points.
Morgan State trailed by as much as 15 points (48-35) after Hamilton knocked down all three free throw attempts with 5:54 to play in the third quarter. The Lady Bears began to cut into the deficit, using a 12-4 spurt capped off by a layup from Spears to bring the guests within five points at 52-47 with 1:47 left in the quarter. The Herd would score the final five points of the period to take a 57-47 lead.
Every time Morgan State made a run, Marshall would push the lead right back up. A jumper by Gore at the 7:19 mark of the fourth quarter would give the Herd a 63-54 lead. The Lady Bears would again put together one last run, this time going on a 14-7 spurt, while holding the Herd without a field goal for the last 3:52 of the game. Miller capped off Morgan's run with a three-pointer with 34 seconds remaining to cut the Marshall lead to 70-68.
However, that was as close as the Lady Bears would get. Gore would go 3-of-4 from the free throw line to score Marshall's final points of the game for the 73-28 victory.
The Lady Bears will be off for the next 12 days to focus on final exams, before returning to West Virginia to face the West Virginia Mountaineers on Monday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in Morgantown, W.Va.
