TRUJILLO ALTO, Puerto Rico (Nov. 23, 2018)-For 20 minutes, the Lady Bears went toe-to-toe with seventh-ranked Maryland, but in the end the Terrapins would overcome a slow start and defeat their in-state foe, 68-44 in the Puerto Rico Clasico tournament played at Coliseo Ruben Zayas.
 
The game was the opener in Puerto Rico for Maryland (5-0), who remained unbeaten on the season, while Morgan State (1-6) was playing its second and final game.
 
Kaila Charles led the Terps with 18 points, while Taylor Mikesell scored 17, as Maryland improved to 4-0 all-time against Morgan State. Stephanie Jones recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Austin Sharira grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to help Maryland outrebound the Lady Bears, 53-19.
 
Morgan State was led by Adre'onia Coleman, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Jihaya Chavis and Kayla Horn added eight and seven points, respectively.
 
Despite taking on a smaller and under matched Morgan State team, which is down to seven players due to various injuries, the Terps held a 16-13 lead after the first quarter and carried just a six-point (28-22) lead over the Lady Bears at the intermission.
 
"It was a great feeling because it gave me hope for the final results of the game to be better than expected by everyone across the nation," said Coleman on the Lady Bears' first half performance against the seventh-ranked Terrapins. "Also for our chances in the MEAC this year to exceed the expectation placed on us."
 
Unfortunately Morgan State would not be able to duplicate its first half performance and the shortage of players began to play a toll on the Lady Bears. Mikesell would hit four of her five three-pointers in the third period, as Maryland would open up the third quarter on a 14-3 run to create some breathing room and outscore Morgan State, 22-13 in the period to take a 50-35 lead.
 
"I thought we started the game slow and I think that's a credit to Morgan State," Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. "I thought they were the more aggressive team. Our team was challenged at halftime and I thought we had a great response in the second half."
 
"In the third period, I think the fact that we were outnumbered really showed," said Coleman. "Maryland is a team who likes to run, so it would have been beneficial to us if we would have had a deeper bench. I do feel like we gave Maryland a run for their money and once they realized we were not just going to lay down, they fought harder."
 
Maryland shot 27-of-58 (46.6 percent) for the game and was 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from three-point range. The Terrapins outscored Morgan State, 34-12 in points in the paint and held a 19-0 advantage in second chance points.
 
The Lady Bears shot 33.3 percent (19-of-57) from the floor and shot just 20 percent (2-for-10) from beyond the arc. Morgan State committed 12 turnovers for the game, but forced the Terps into 23 turnovers, which it converted into 16 points.
 
Morgan State will return home to face Central Connecticut on Monday, Nov. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. The Lady Bears and the Blue Devils met last season for the first time with Morgan State winning 61-41 in New Britain, Conn.