Game 1
Morgan State "Lady Bears" (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. UMBC "Retrievers" (0-0, 0-0 America East)
Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Site: Baltimore, Md. (Hill Field House)
Tip-off: 3 p.m.
Series Record: UMBC leads, 15-12
Gameday: Here
TV: N/A
Audio: HSRN.com
Video: MorganStateBears.com
Live Stats: Here
Website: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.umbcretrievers.com
Game Notes: Morgan State | UMBC | MEAC
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Nov. 23, 2020)- The Morgan State women's basketball team will begin the 2020-21 campaign on Wednesday, Nov. 25, when the Lady Bears welcome crosstown rival the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Tip-off is 3 p.m. at Hill Field House. The game will be carried live on the Heritage Sports Radio Network at HSRN.com and with live video at MorganStateBears.com.
 
MSU VS. UMBC SERIES NOTES: UMBC has won eight of the last 10 meetings, including two straight to lead the all-time series, 15-12. Last season the Retrievers defeated Morgan State, 65-63 in overtime at the UMBC Events Center (12/15/19).
 
NEXT UP: The Morgan State Lady Bears will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to face Xavier. Tip-off is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 29. It will be the first meeting between the two programs.
 
2020-21 HOME PROTOCOLS: The 2020-21 season will begin without spectators in attendance at Hill Field House Arena.
• The men's and women's basketball programs will adhere to NCAA guidelines and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference policies and procedures, including COVID-19 testing protocols, while also operating in alignment with state and local public health officials.
• Hill Field House will operate with limited access only to include essential staff and personnel, including participating teams. Capacity restrictions will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and adjusted as allowed as public health conditions improve as public health conditions and recommendations improve.
 
HOW TO WATCH GAMES: All men's and women's basketball home games will be video streamed for free through the MorganStateBears.com website. The latest broadcast and video stream information will always be listed on men's and women's basketball schedule pages at MorganStateBears.com.
 
MEN'S & WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RADIO: All home games and select away games for MSU men's and women's basketball will once again be available through Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com). Lamont Germany will handle play-by-play responsibilities and will also host pre-game and post-game shows, including exclusive interviews with members of the teams and women's coach Ed Davis and men's coach Kevin Broadus. Fans can download the HSRN app for free and listen to the MSU broadcasts from anywhere. Simply search for HSRN when using the iHeartRadio app.

MORGAN IN SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Bears are 11-32 all-time in season openers dating back to 1977, following a 70-48 road loss at Marquette (11/5) last season. 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.
 
THE MAIN EVENT: The Lady Bears will open the 2020-21 season as the main event in their season opener doubleheader on Nov. 25, featuring the men's team. The Morgan State men's team will host Mount St. Mary's in their season opener at noon, while the women will follow with a 3 p.m. contest against the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Last season the Lady Bears were also the main event in their MEAC opener doubleheader at Delaware State (1/4/20). That contest marked the first time in nearly three decades that the women's team followed the men's game in a MEAC doubleheader.
 
MORGAN PICKED SECOND IN MEAC NORTH: Morgan State was picked to finish second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division preseason poll, as voted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The MEAC will move to division play for the 2020-21 season. The Lady Bears were picked to finish seventh last season and went 17-13 overall and finished 12-4 in the MEAC to finish the 2019-20 regular season tied for second and earned the No. 3 seed in the league tournament.
 
REDD, MCCALLA EARN PRESEASON ALL-MEAC HONORS: Senior guard Dahnye Redd was selected to the MEAC Preseason All-MEAC first team and junior guard Ashia McCalla was named to the second team. Redd averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game last season. A third-team All-MEAC selection a year ago, Redd ranked seventh in the MEAC in scoring, fifth in rebounding, fifth in offensive rebounding (3.0), eighth in defensive rebounds (4.5), ninth in field goal percentage (.437), 10th in free throw percentage (.694) and 14th in blocked shots (0.8). A native of Darby, Pa., Redd reached double figures in scoring 21 times and had five double-doubles. She scored 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had a steal in the MEAC quarterfinal win over Delaware State (3/12) and added a career-high 26 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks at Saint Peter's (11/26). McCalla averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game last season. She ranked 14th in the MEAC in scoring, fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.343) and fourth in three-point field goals made (58). McCalla reached double figures in scoring 17 times and was also second on the team in free throw shooting at 80% (56-of-70). The Greenbelt native set a career-high 31 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range, hauled in a season-high eight rebounds and had two steals and an assist in the home opener against Notre Dame Maryland (11/8).
 
SPORTING A NEW LOGO: Morgan State will have a new uniform and apparel outfitter for the 2020-21 season, as the Lady Bears will now wear Baltimore based Under Armour. The partnership with Under Armour will allow Morgan State to provide Under Armour uniforms, apparel, gear and equipment for its complete roster of student-athletes, coaches, athletic department personnel and the campus community. The agreement with Under Armour will last for five years and the affiliation will debut with the first the first game of the season on Nov. 25 at Hill Field House.
 
UNBEATEN STREAK ON THE LINE: Morgan State will enter the 2020-21 campaign looking to remain unbeaten against one team on the schedule: Texas State. The Lady Bears will visit the Bobcats on Dec. 21 in San Marcos, Texas. The two teams met for the first time last season with the Lady Bears earning a 72-62 victory in Baltimore.
 
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY: The Lady Bears welcome a total of seven transfer players this season. Two are junior college transfers, while the other five are coming from four-year Universities, including three graduate players. Sophomore guard Adia Brisker, comes to Morgan State from Niagara and senior guard Jayla Atmore transferred from Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Brisker and Atmore are joined by graduate students, Desiree "Dez" Allen (NJIT), Nina Carpenter (Cal State Bakersfield) and Takara Wade (Houston Baptist). Carrie Lee (Daytona State) and Khalia Hines (Highland), are both junior college transfers.
 
REMATCH: Four of Morgan State's non-conference opponents this season (UMBC, Marshall, Saint Peter's and Texas State) are rematches from the 2019-20 campaign. Morgan State went 2-2 a year ago against those opponents with its wins coming on the road at Marshall (57-52) and at home against Texas State (72-62).
 
SOMEONE NEW: The Lady Bears will square off against one first-time opponent this year, when it travels to Xavier-Ohio (11/29).
 
SAYING GOODBYE: The Lady Bears will say goodbye to a total of eight seniors, including three graduate transfers at the conclusion of the season. Two-year members Elaija Demeza, KaMaree Donald, Dahnye Redd, Sydney Searcy and Lana Skripkina who came to MSU a year ago as juniors, along with first-year members Desiree Allen, Nina Carpenter and Takara Wade will all be honored prior to the Lady Bears' season finale at Hill Field House for 'Senior Night' against Coppin State (3/4/21).
 
THE RIVALRY CONTINUES WITH A DOUBLE DOSE: With the MEAC going to a Northern and Southern Division format in basketball this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, crosstown rivals Morgan State and Coppin State will get a double dose of their annual "East vs. West" season series in 2021. For the first time since the 1995-96 season, when they met three times, the two programs will meet more than twice during the regular season, as they will play a total of four times. Last year Morgan State swept the season series over Coppin State, earning a 47-42 road victory on (1/25), before defeating the Eagles, 68-42 at home (2/29). It was the second consecutive year the Lady Bears have won both regular season contests. Morgan State has won five straight regular season match-ups and six out of the last seven meetings against their rivals.
 
AN ABRUPT END: Moments after celebrating the program's first MEAC Tournament victory in two years, Morgan State's 2019-20 season came to a screeching holt, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the court, the Lady Bears had just defeated Delaware State, 64-63 in the MEAC quarterfinal round (3/12) to advance to their first semifinal appearance since 2007. Once in the locker room, the team was told the remainder of the tournament had been cancelled. The Morgan State-Delaware State contest was the final NCAA Division I college basketball game played in the 2019-20 season.   
 
THIRD QUARTER DOMINANCE: Morgan State outscored its opponents in the third quarter in 2019-20 by a whopping 84 points (508-424). In the win over Howard (2/1/20), Morgan State limited the Lady Bison to just three points in the third period.
 
LADY BEARS TIE SCHOOL'S MEAC RECORD: Morgan State's 73-55 victory over Norfolk State (3/5) in the regular season finale gave the Lady Bears a 12-4 MEAC record, which tied Norfolk State for second place. Morgan State's 12 wins also tied the school record for most MEAC victories in a season, set by both the 1999-2000 team, which finished 12-6 and the 2009-10 squad that finished 12-4.
 
PROTECTING THE 'HOUSE': MSU closed out the regular season with a 10-1 record at Hill Field House this season and has won 11 of its last 12 home games dating back to a 70-47 win over rival Coppin State in the season finale during the 2018-19 season. The Lady Bears' 10-1 record was the program's best home court mark since the 2017-18 team finished 10-3.
 
2021 MEAC TOURNAMENT: The 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 8-13, 2021. First-round games will take place on campus sites, before moving to the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. 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.

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.