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Game 29
Opponent: Delaware State "Hornets" (5-23, 4-11 MEAC)
Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2018
Site: Dover, Del. (Memorial Hall)
Game Time: 5:30 p.m. 
Series Record: Delaware State leads series, 41-35
Watch: dsuhornets.com
Live Stats: dsuhornets.com
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.dsuhornets.com
 
DOVER, Del. (Feb. 28, 2018)-Morgan State will look to close out the regular season on a high note when the Lady Bears visit Delaware State for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Thursday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall. The contest will be the season finale for both teams and is of importance, as it will play a part in determining the tournament seeds.
 
"The game tomorrow is very important. As a team we had a couple of goals coming into the season," said senior forward Janessa Fauntroy, who last season recorded a career-high eight points against Delaware State (2/11), while shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor and connected on both of her free throw attempts. "Have a winning season and win MEAC [Tournament] were two of our most important goals. If we do what we need to do tomorrow, we will have achieved one of our two goals."  
 
Despite struggling to come out on the winning end this season, the Hornets managed to win the series' first meeting this season, 62-54 in Baltimore, Md. (1/22). The loss would hand Morgan State its first home loss of the season, thus ending a nine-game home court winning streak dating back to last season.
 
"Personally, I felt like Delaware State's win the first go around was 100% us beating ourselves," said Fauntroy. "Although that team has improved, there is no team in this conference that can beat us if we play our game. So, I feel we have something to prove going into tomorrow's game."
 
The Lady Bears currently hold the No. 5 seed, while Delaware State is in 12th in the league standings for next week's MEAC Tournament in Norfolk, Va. A win by Morgan State and the two teams would meet in the MEAC opening round on Monday, March 5 at 1:30 p.m. However, a win by the Hornets, could move them as high as 10th-place due to tie-breaker scenarios, while dropping Morgan State to sixth-place.
 
"Knowing [if we win] we will play Delaware State first round of the tournament is a great feeling because that is a team that does not match us in some areas," said Fauntroy. "But the preparation is not going to be any easier. I think everyone on our team needs to go into practices as if we are playing in the championship."

Added Fauntroy, "just because it is the first round and we are playing a lower seed, does not mean they will lay down and let us win. We are going to have to fight in every single round of the MEACs to achieve our final goal…2018 MEAC Champions!"
 
BEAR CLAWS: Morgan State (15-13, 8-7 MEAC), ended a two-game losing skid, following a 73-59 victory at home over Coppin State (2/26). Lexus Spears scored a career– and game-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting to lead the Lady Bears past the Eagles. Tykyrah Williams scored 17 points, including 4-for-5 from three-point range and Farrar finished with 15 points, giving her 1,546 for her career and moving her past Tracey Carrington for third-place all-time at Morgan State. Spears would grab a game-high eight rebounds, while Aunesha Williams came off the bench to pull down seven boards to go with two assists and two steals. Tykyrah Williams added six boards to help the Lady Bears outrebound Coppin State, 39-26, while also passing both Corin "Tiny" Adams and Tracey Carrington for 10th on the career charts with 568 rebounds. She also finished with two steals to move into a 10th-place tie with Morgan State assistant coach Brittany Dodson with 142. Spears has led the Lady Bears with 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, both team highs. Braennan Farrar is scoring 12 points per game and leads the team in steals (65) and assists (94). Tykyrah Williams is adding 11.1 points and is pulling down 6.1 rebounds, while Adre'onia Coleman is hauling in 6.5 rebounds and 9.3 points per game. The Lady Bears are searching for their first winning season since 2010-11, when that team went 17-15 overall, 10-6 in the MEAC.
 
HORNET STINGERS: Delaware State (5-23, 4-11 MEAC), which has lost its last two games, is coming off a 76-56 loss at Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday. Lanayjha Ashe scored a game-high 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and finished with a game-high six assists. Keke Barber  and Ryan Jones each scored 11 points, while NaJai Pollard grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and had a game-high three blocks. Pollard has paced the Hornets with 18 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and has a team-high 41 blocks. Ashe is scoring 11.4 points and leads the team in assists (79) and steals (58).
 
MSU VS. DELAWARE STATE SERIES NOTES: Delaware State leads the all-time series over Morgan State, 41-35. The Hornets won this season's first meeting, 62-54 at Baltimore (1/22). The win would end Morgan State five-game winning streak in the series, as well as hand the Lady Bears their first home loss of the season.
 
NEXT UP: Next up for the Lady Bears will be the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament Monday, March 5-Saturday, March 10 in Norfolk, Va. 
 
ROAD WOES: Morgan State fell to a combined 5-10 (including loss to Iowa at neutral site) away from Hill Field House this season, following a 63-60 loss at Hampton (2/24). The loss ended a three-game road winning streak.
 
SPEARS EARNS THIRD MEAC WEEKLY HONOR: Lexus Spears was named MEAC Player of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 26. It was her third MEAC weekly honor this season. Spears, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., shot a combined 20-for-25 (.800) from the floor, while averaging 22 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games. She grabbed a game-high 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while grabbing five rebounds and two steals at Hampton  (2/24). She followed that up with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, while recording a block and a steal in a win over rival Coppin State (2/26).
 
BACK IN THE HORNETS NEST: Morgan State head coach Ed Davis will be making his second trip back to Memorial Hall as an opposing head coach. Davis, who once patrolled the sideline for 12 seasons as the head coach of Delaware State, has yet to lose a game in four trips to Memorial Hall since joining Morgan State as an assistant during the 2012-13 season. The Lady Bears have a 7-2 record against Delaware State since Davis joined Morgan State's staff.
 
LOCK DOWN DEFENSE: Three times this season Morgan State has 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. Coppin State became the latest victim, when Morgan State held them to three points in the third quarter on Feb. 26.
            -at Savannah State (2/10), 4th quarter
            -at Florida A&M (2/12), 3rd quarter
            -vs. Coppin State (2/26), 3rd quarter
 
PROTECTING HOME: The Lady Bears, who have had one of their most successful seasons at home in recent years, closed out the 2017-18 home slate with a 10-3 mark, following their 73-59 victory over rival Coppin State (2/26). It's the best home record since the 2009-10 team finished 9-1 at Hill Field House. The 10 victories also rank second most at home in the last 15 seasons to the 2008-09 team, which went 12-4. Morgan State began the season 8-0 at home and was riding a nine-game home winning streak dating back to last season, before falling to Delaware State, 64-52 on Jan. 22, 2018 for its first home loss.
 
HOLD UM UNDER 60 POINTS: Morgan State improved to 13-1 this season when holding its opponents under 60 points, following a 73-59 victory over Coppin State (2/26). 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 12 victories, three times (Lincoln-Pa., Central Connecticut, Savannah State) the Lady Bears surrendered an opponent low 41 points.
 
WILLIAMS JOINS 1,000 PTS/500 REBS CLUB: Tykyrah Williams became the seventh Lady Bear player to join the 1,000 points and 500 rebounds club at Morgan State. Williams scored her 1,001st point at home against Bethune-Cookman (2/19). Williams became the 12th player to record 500 rebounds at Morgan State when she pulled down seven boards at N.C. A&T (1/13) to give her 501 for her career. Williams currently has 1,031 points and 568 rebounds for her career, which ranks 10th.
 
SPEARS JOINS 500 REBOUND CLUB: Senior forward Lexus Spears pulled down six rebounds against South Carolina State (1/29), giving her 501 career rebounds at Morgan State to become the 13th Lady Bear to grab 500 rebounds. Spears, who played in just three games last season due to an injury, has pulled down a team-leading 208 rebounds this season for an average of 7.4 rebounds per game. She grabbed eight boards in the home finale against Coppin State (2/26) and now has 561 career rebounds.
 
FARRAR ON THE RISE: Braennan "BeBe" Farrar continues to make her move up several of Morgan State's statistical charts. Farrar scored 15 points against Coppin State (2/26) and moved past Tracey Carrington (1,336 points from 2011-15) into third-place all-time in scoring at Morgan State. On Feb. 19, Farrar recorded three assists against Bethune-Cookman to move into second-place all-time at Morgan State in assists with 342. She now has 352 assists. The St. Louis, Mo. native currently sits in fourth-place all-time in steals at Morgan State with 267.