BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 24, 2020)-The Morgan State women's basketball team improved to 8-1 at home this season, following a 61-41 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory over Delaware State on Monday evening at Hill Field House.
Chelsea Mitchell picked up her 13th double-double of the season, recording game highs in points (17) and rebounds (17). Ashia McCalla added 13 points and Dahnye Redd finished with 10 points, as Morgan State avenged its road loss to Delaware State in the MEAC opener in Dover on Jan. 4
Morgan State improved to 14-13 overall and 10-4 in the MEAC with the win, while Delaware State fell to 12-14, 8-5 in the MEAC.
The Hornets were led by Tierra Floyd, who scored a team-high 10 points. DeMaurea Moore fell shy of a double-double, pulling down 13 rebounds to go with nine points.
The Lady Bears forced 23 Delaware State turnovers, converting them into 27 points. Morgan State committed 13 turnovers, which the guests were able to turn into 10 points. Behind the rebounding of Mitchell, who had eight offensive rebounds, the Lady Bears were able to hold a 17-6 advantage in second chance points.
After being tied 14 apiece with one quarter in the books, Morgan State would limit Delaware State to just nine points each in the remaining three quarters. The Lady Bears took their largest lead of the game when Mitchell scored on a layup with 3:29 remaining in the game to give the hosts a 20-point cushion at 59-59.
An added bonus was when Morgan State senior Dawn Gipson made her long awaited debut as a Lady Bear. Gipson, who had battled through injuries the past season and a half, checked into the game with 3:25 left in the first quarter and wasted no time making her presence felt. Â
Working from left to right along on the baseline, the 6-foot-1 forward scored on a reverse layup just four seconds into the contest for the first points of her Morgan State career. It was her first collegiate points since March 24, 2018, when she helped Tallahassee Community College capture the NJCAA Division I National Championship over Trinity Valley Community College.
Gipson would finish Monday's contest scoring six points on 3-for-3 shooting, collect two steals and had a block in 12 minutes of action.
The Lady Bears will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 29 when they welcome crosstown rival Coppin State to Hill Field House for Round 2 of the annual "East vs. West" game. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.
