Game 7
Morgan State "Lady Bears" (3-3) at Saint Peter's "Peacocks" (2-2)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019
Site: Jersey City, N.J. (Yanitelli Center)
Tip-off: 5 p.m.
Series Record: Saint Peter's leads, 10-1
Gameday: Here
Watch: ESPN3
Live Stats: Here
Website: www.saintpeterspeacocks.com
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Nov. 11, 2019)-The Morgan State women's basketball team is back in action after a five-day hiatus when it visits Saint Peter's on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.J. It will be the home opener for the Peacocks. Fans can watch live on ESPN3 and follow along with live stats on  saintpeterspeacocks.com. The two teams last met on Dec. 29, 2009 on the opening day of the Saint Peter's Holiday Classic. The host Peacocks would win 55-51.
 
Tuesday's game will be the Peacocks third this season against an opponent from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Earlier this season the Peacocks defeated Coppin State 82-57 in Baltimore (11/15), before falling at Howard 92-80 (11/17). Saint Peter's will also travel to Delaware State (12/7) for its fourth and final game against a MEAC foe this season.
 
Morgan State (3-3) is coming off a 57-52 victory at Marshall last Thursday, Nov. 21. It was the Lady Bears' first victory over the Thundering Herd in four tries. Dahnye Redd scored a game-high 19 points and Ashia McCalla added 11, as Morgan State picked up its first win over a NCAA Division I opponent this season. Chelsea Mitchell grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to go with seven points and a game-high four steals, as Morgan State earned its first win over a Conference USA opponent since defeating Florida International, 62-51 in Baltimore (12/4/17).
 
MSU VS. SAINT PETER'S SERIES NOTES: Saint Peter's has won nine straight and leads the all-time series, 10-1. The two program's last met in the opening round of the 2009 Saint Peter's Holiday Classic, which the Peacocks, won 55-51 (12/29/09). Morgan State's lone victory came in the third round of the EAIAW Tournament, which the Lady Bears won 70-61 on March 14, 1981.
 
A LOOK AT THE PEACOCKS: Saint Peter's (2-2), who on Tuesday will be playing its third straight game against a MEAC opponent, is coming off a 92-80 loss at Howard (11/17). Gabrielle Harris and Taiah Thornton each shot 6-of-16 and pulled down five rebounds to score a team-best 18 points to lead the Peacocks. Phylina Holmes and Tyara McQueen both came off the bench to add 12 and 10 points, respectively. Holmes tied Briyanah Richardson for a team-high six boards.  
 
NEXT UP: Morgan State will travel to Anne Arbor, Mich. for the second consecutive year to face Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m. at the Crisler Center. Last season the Lady Bears dropped a 70-47 decision to the Wolverines (12/15/18).
 
CHAVIS MOVES INTO EIGHTH ON STEALS CHART: Senior Jihayah Chavis picked up one steal against Omaha (11/17) to give her 167 for her career and move her past former Lady Bear Moneshia Davis (166 steals from 2009-13) for eighth all-time at Morgan State.
 
DAVIS RECORDS CAREER VICTORY NO. 380: Morgan State head coach Ed Davis Jr. recorded his 380th career coaching victory, following the Lady Bears' win against Washington Adventist (11/11). Davis, who is in his eighth season with the Lady Bears and fourth as head coach, has an overall record of 381-304. He recorded career win No. 370, following the Lady Bears' win over UMass Lowell (12/29/18). Davis 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.
  
SEARCY MAKES LONG AWAITED DEBUT: Senior transfer Sydney Searcy made her long awaited Morgan State debut in the win over Washington Adventist (11/11). The former Florida Gator, who sat out last season to fulfill NCAA transfer requirements, came off the bench to score 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-3 from three-point range and recorded five steals in 17 minutes of play.
 
MORGAN IN SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Bears are 11-32 all-time in season openers dating back to 1977, following this season's 70-48 road  loss at Marquette (11/5). It was the sixth season opening loss for the Lady Bears in seven years. Morgan State at one point had lost 23 straight season openers, prior to winning three straight from 2006-08.
 
MORGAN PICKED SEVENTH IN MEAC: Morgan State was picked to finish seventh 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 sixth, and went 10-21 overall and finished 8-8 in the MEAC to finish sixth.
 
TOURNAMENT EXPOSURE: Six of Morgan State's 2019-20 opponents advanced to postseason play last season in Marquette-2nd round, Michigan-2nd round and Bethune-Cookman-1st round (NCAA Women's Tournament); North Carolina A&T State-1st round (Women's National Invitational Tournament); Akron-1st round and Marshall-2nd round (Women's Basketball Invitational).
 
SAYING GOODBYE: Morgan State will say goodbye to five seniors at the conclusion of the season. Four-year member Jihayah Chavis, three-year member Chelsea Mitchell along with Dawn Gipson, Sydney Searcy and Dezyree Morales, who all came to Morgan State a year ago as juniors, will be honored on 'Senior Night' prior to their final home game at Hill Field House against Norfolk State (3/5/20).
 
DAVIS RETURNS TO THE HORNETS NEST: Morgan State head coach Ed Davis will make his fourth trip back to Memorial Hall (1/4/20), as an opposing head coach on Jan. 4, 2020 when Morgan State travels to Delaware State for the MEAC opener. Davis, who once patrolled the sideline for 12 seasons as the head coach of Delaware State, has dropped his last two visits to Dover, Del., falling to 4-2 in six trips to Memorial Hall since joining Morgan State as an assistant during the 2012-13 season. The Lady Bears have a 7-4 all-time record against Delaware State since Davis joined Morgan State's staff.
 
REMATCH: Three of Morgan State's non-conference opponents this season (Washington Adventist, Michigan and UMBC) will be rematches from the 2018-19 campaign. Morgan State went 1-2 a year ago against those opponents with its lone win coming against Washington Adventist.
 
SOMEONE NEW: Morgan State will square off this season against five first-time opponents in Marquette (11/5), Nebraska (11/14), Nebraska-Omaha (11/17), Texas State (12/18) and Akron (12/21).
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Senior guard Chelsea Mitchell will end her collegiate career at Morgan State where she started. A native of Columbia, Md., Mitchell spent her first two years playing at Morgan from 2015-17, before transferring to Lander University for her junior season (2017-18).
 
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.
 
NO BETTER TIME THAN MARCH: Last season it took all 30 regular season games, but the Lady Bears' back-to-back victories at Maryland Eastern Shore (3/4) and at home against Coppin State (3/7), gave Morgan State a 2-1 record for the month of March, it's first winning record month all season.