BAYAMON, Puerto Rico (Dec. 21, 2019)-The Morgan State women's basketball team closed out its time in Puerto Rico and as well as the 2019 non-conference schedule with a 52-45 loss to the University of Akron on Saturday morning in the finale of the Puerto Rico Clasico played at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez.
 
With the loss the Lady Bears ended the first half of the season on a two-game losing skid and finished their non-conference slate with a 4-9 record.
 
Ashia McCalla scored a game-high 17 points, while shooting 5-of-9 from three-point range to account for all of Morgan State's three-pointers made. As a team the Lady Bears shot 5-for-16 (31 percent) from beyond the three-point arc. Chelsea Mitchell shot 7-of-12 from the floor to finish with 15 points, grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, had a game-high two blocks and recorded a team-high two steals.
 
Akron (7-4) was led by Haliegh Reinoehl, who scored 13 points and Shayna Harmon finished with 10 points, six rebounds and had a game-high four steals for the Zips. Caitlin Vari pulled down a game-best nine rebounds and Jordyn Dawson added eight rebounds to go with seven points, to help the Zips hold a 39-35 rebounding advantage over Morgan State.
 
As was the case earlier in the season in Morgan State's near upset bid of Nebraska, where the difference in the game came from the free throw line, the Lady Bears again did themselves in with their excessive fouling. Morgan State would commit 24 fouls and had two players foul out, while Akron had just five total fouls. The Zips finished the game shooting 15-of-20 (75 percent) from the charity stripe and Morgan State, despite shooting 66.7 from the line, only had three attempts, all by halftime and connected on two.
 
Morgan State, which outscored the Zips (22-14) inside the paint, scored the game's first points on a basket by Dezyree Morales down low. It would be the Lady Bears only lead of the game. Akron responded to score 13 of the next 17 points, capped off with a jumper by Harmon with 3:27 left in the first period to take a 13-6 lead. The guests closed out the half using a 7-0 spurt to even the score at 13 all on a layup by Mitchell to end the first quarter.
 
Akron controlled the second quarter outscoring the Lady Bears, 17-8 to take a 30-21 advantage at the intermission.
 
Reinoehl knocked down a three-pointer in the third quarter to give the Zips their largest lead of the game at 33-23 with 7:59 remaining in the period. Morgan State, which outscored the Zips 12-9 in the quarter, countered with back-to-back treys from McCalla and Mitchell scored on a layup at the 4:25 mark to complete an 8-0 run and bring Morgan State within 33-31. Akron held a 39-33 advantage heading into the fourth period.
 
Trailing 42-33, McCalla hit two three-pointers to serve as bookends to back-to-back layups from Mitchell, as the Lady Bears used a 10-3 run to pull within 45-43 with 3:28 left in the contest.
 
Unfortunately, the Lady Bears would go the next 3:24 without a point until Mitchell's layup with four seconds left cut the Akron lead to 50-45.
 
The Lady Bears will return to action in the New Year, when they travel to Dover, Del. to face the Delaware State Hornets. Tip-off will be at 4 p.m. at Memorial Hall. It will mark the first time in nearly three decades that the women's team will follow the men's game in a MEAC doubleheader.