Game 3
Opponent: at Hartford Hawk (0-1, 0-0 America East)
Date: Friday, Nov. 9, 2018
Site: West Hartford, Conn. | Chase Arena
Tip-Off: 7 p.m.
Series Record: Hartford leads, 1-0
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: hartfordhawks.com
Morgan State Notes |  Hartford Notes
 
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (Nov. 9, 2018)-The Morgan State Lady Bears will look to spoil Hartford's home opener on Friday night in the opening round of the Preseason Women's Invitational Tournament (WNIT). The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. from Chase Arena and will air on ESPN+. This will be Morgan's first-ever appearance in the Preseason WNIT. 
 
BEAR CLAWS: Morgan State (1-1) enters the contest coming off a 60-43 victory over visiting Washington Adventist (11/7). Senior Adre'onia Coleman, who led four Lady Bears in double figures scoring, finished with a game-high 17 points and added a game-high 10 rebounds to pick up her first double-double of the season in the win. Fellow senior Kayla Horn scored 12 points, while junior Jihayah Chavis and freshman Ashia McCalla each added 10 points.

A LOOK AT HARTFORD: The Hawks (0-1) dropped their season opener at Villanova, 59-41. Sierra DaCosta scored a team-high 16 points, while Ella Awobajo registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Hartford is coming off a historic season in 2017-18 that saw it become the first sixth-seed to make it to the America East title game.  

SERIES NOTES: Tonight's contest will be the second meeting between the two programs with Hartford leading the all-time series, 1-0. The Hawks earned a 64-60 victory at home over Morgan State on Jan. 1, 1993.

NEXT UP: The winner of tonight's game will head into the second round of the WNIT and will take on the winner of Miami/Stephen F. Austin, while the loser goes to the consolation round of the tournament.

COLEMAN RECORDS DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Senior captain Adre'onia Coleman scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to help Morgan State to a 60-43 win over Washington Adventist (11/7). Coleman, who shot 7-of-16 from the floor, also added a game-high three steals in the win.

I'M COMING HOME: Friday's Preseason WNIT opener will be also be a homecoming for Morgan State junior transfer Dezyree Morales. The West Hartford native, is a 2016 graduate of  Conard High School, where she played basketball. Morales earned all-conference and all-academic honors during her senior season, before moving on to Colby Community College in Colby, Kansas.

DAVIS CLOSING IN ON 370 VICTORIES: Morgan State head coach Ed Davis Jr. is one win away from picking up career coaching victory 370. Davis, who enters his seventh season with the Lady Bears and third as head coach, has an overall record of 369-279, following a 60-43 win over Washington Adventist (11/7). He has guided his teams to a total of four NCAA Tournament appearances, while at Bowie State (3) and Delaware State (1) and two Division II Sweet 16 appearances.

BOLASINGH SCORES 14 IN RETURN: Senior Naomi Bolasingh made her long awaited return back on the court for the Lady Bears and scored a game-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the season opener against Lincoln-Pa. (11/6). It was her first game back with the Lady Bears, since missing the final eight contests of the 2017-18 season due to an injury.

MORGAN IN SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Bears are 11-31 all-time in season openers dating back to 1977, following this year's 51-46 home loss to Lincoln-Pa. (11/6). It was the fifth season opening loss for the Lady Bears in six years. Morgan State at one point had lost 23 straight season openers, prior to winning three straight from 2006-08.

MORGAN PICKED SIXTH IN MEAC: Morgan State was picked to finish sixth 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 eighth, and went 16-15 overall and finished 8-8 in the MEAC to finish sixth. Morgan State produced its first winning season since 2010-11 (17-15) and recorded its first MEAC Tournament victory in two years with its 58-51 first round win over Coppin State.

LADY BEARS TO COMPETE IN PRESEASON WNIT: For the first time in program history the Morgan State Lady Bears will compete in the 2018 Preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). The Lady Bears will begin the 25th edition of the Preseason WNIT on the road, when they travel to Hartford, Conn. to take on the Hartford Hawks in first round action on Friday, Nov. 9. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. Morgan State is the only Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in this year's field. In 2011, Morgan State made history when it advanced to the WNIT Postseason Tournament, where it faced host Virginia in the first round. It was the program's first and till this day, only Division I postseason appearance in school history.

HOLD UM UNDER 60 POINTS: Morgan State finished the 2017-18 season with a 14-1 record when it held its opponents under 60 points. During the Lady Bears' season-long four-game winning streak (Dec. 28-Jan. 8), Morgan State held three of those opponents to under 60 points. Of those 14 victories, three times (Lincoln-Pa., Central Connecticut, Savannah State) the Lady Bears surrendered an opponent low 41 points.

LOCK DOWN DEFENSE: The Morgan State defense is picking up where it left off last year. In the opener, the Lady Bears held Lincoln-Pa. to just two points in the third quarter on 1-of-18 shooting in that quarter. Three times last season Morgan State held an opponent to just three points in a quarter. Each time, the Lady Bears held the opponent to one field goal and a free throw in the quarter. In the opener
            -at Savannah State (2/10), 4th quarter
            -at Florida A&M (2/12), 3rd quarter
            -vs. Coppin State (2/26), 3rd quarter 
 
LADY BEARS SCORE SCHOOL RECORD 123 POINTS: Last season the Lady Bears set a new school record for points in a game when they scored 123 points in their 123-53 victory in the home opener over Cheyney (11/13/17). 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).

DAVIS A THREE-TIME HALL OF FAMER: Morgan State head coach Ed Davis Jr. was inducted into his third Hall of Fame in September 2017, when his 2006-07 Delaware State women's basketball team was inducted for capturing the 2007 MEAC title. Davis was also inducted into the Bowie State University Hall of Fame in 2014 as a coach, where he guided the Lady Bulldogs to three CIAA titles and a pair of Division II "Sweet 16" appearances and in 2008 he was inducted into the West Virginia State University Hall of Fame as a basketball player.

WELCOME TO THE CAVE: Morgan State will welcome the addition of seven newcomers (four transfers and three freshmen) to the 2018-19 team. Those additions are junior transfers: Dawn Gipson, Dezyree Morales, Dallas Petties and Sydney Searcy; along with freshmen: Ashia McCalla, Elizabeth Sherrill and Amoura Whitney.

SAYING GOODBYE: Morgan State will say goodbye to three seniors at the conclusion of the season. Two-year members Naomi Bolasingh, Adre'onia Coleman and Kayla Horn, who all transferred to Morgan State as juniors, will be honored on Senior Night when they play their final home game at Hill Field House on March 7, 2019 against crosstown rival Coppin State at 5:30 p.m.

2019 MEAC TOURNAMENT: The 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 11-16 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. Ticket books can be purchased at all 12 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.