Game 30
Morgan State "Lady Bears" (16-13, 12-4 MEAC) vs. Delaware State "Hornets" (12-17, 8-8 MEAC)
Date: Thursday, March 12, 2020
Site: Norfolk, Va. (Norfolk Scope Arena)
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Series Record: Delaware State leads, 44-36
Gameday: Here
TV: N/A
Audio: HSRN.com
Watch: Floshoops.com
Live Stats: www.meachoops.com
Website: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.dsuhornets.com
Game Notes: Morgan State | Delaware State | MEAC
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (March 4, 2020)-The third-seeded Morgan State women's basketball team, winners of four straight, will begin the 2020 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament on Thursday, March 12, when it takes on No. 6 Delaware State in a quarterfinal game at 2 p.m. at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. The game will be carried live on the Heritage Sports Radio Network at HSRN.com and can be seen on flohoops.com. Live stats will be provided at meachoops.com.
 
BEAR CLAWS: The Lady Bears (16-13, 12-4 MEAC), who closed out the regular season by winning four straight games, to finish tied for second with Norfolk State in the league standings, enters the MEAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Morgan State ended the regular season with a 73-55 thumping of second-seeded Norfolk State in the home finale on March 5. Playing her final game at Hill Field House, Chelsea Mitchell scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Fellow senior Jihayah Chavis finished with seven points and totaled a game-high eight assists to give her 288 for her career and move into fifth all-time at Morgan. Dahnye Redd notched 14 points, two assists, two blocks and a steal, while Ja'Niah Henson came off the bench to add a season-best 13 points. The Lady Bears have been led by Mitchell, who is averaging 15.5 points and 9.7 boards per game. Redd is scoring 13 points and pulling down 7.5 rebounds per contest, while Ashia McCalla is adding 11.7 points per game. Morgan State is averaging 63.3 points per contest and is giving up 58.1 per outing to opponents.
 
MORGAN VS. DELAWARE STATE SERIES NOTES: Delaware State leads the all-time series over Morgan State, 44-36. The two teams split this season's series, each winning on their home floor. The Hornets won the first meeting, 69-61 in Dover, Del. (1/4). Morgan State ended a four-game losing skid to the Hornets with a 61-41 victory in Baltimore (2/24). DSU holds a 4-1 all-time lead over Morgan State in MEAC Tournament action. The two teams last met on March 13, 2008 in a semifinal game won by the Hornets, 67-49.
 
HORNET STINGERS: Delaware State (12-17, 8-8 MEAC) dropped its last four regular-season contests to end up as the sixth-seed in the tournament. The Hornets lost their finale at Howard, 76-71 in Washington, D.C. (3/5). Janasia Law had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead five Hornet players in double figures scoring. Melissa Sam came off the bench to shoot 6-of-8 from the floor to finish with 13 points, while Sharajah Collins, Tierra Floyd and Lyric Turner all added 10 points. The Hornets have been paced by Collins, who is averaging 11.3 points per game. Turner is scoring 10.3 points a game and Floyd is adding 9.4 points and leads the team in rebounding at 5.7 per contest. Delaware State has been averaging 61.9 points a game this season, while surrendering 65.9 points to its opponents.
 
NEXT UP: The Morgan State-Delaware State winner will advance to  Friday's semifinal game on March 13 against the winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal game between #2 Norfolk State and #7 Howard. Tip-off on Friday will be at 2 p.m.
 
DAVIS RECORDS COACHING VICTORY NO. 400: MSU head coach Ed Davis Jr. picked up career coaching milestone - victory No. 400, as well as his 51st win at Morgan State, following the Lady Bears' 73-55 season finale win over Norfolk State (2/5). Davis, who is in his eighth season with the Lady Bears and fourth as the head coach, has guided his teams to a total of four NCAA Tournament appearances, while at Bowie State (3) and at Delaware State (1) and two Division II Sweet 16.
 
MITCHELL, REDD EARN ALL-MEAC HONORS: Senior guard Chelsea Mitchell was named to the All-MEAC first team, while junior guard Dahnye Redd was named to the All-MEAC third team. Mitchell led the Lady Bears in scoring (15.5), rebounding (9.7) and steals with 104. She finished third in assists (38) and blocks (11). The Columbia, Md. native, reached double figures in scoring 25 times and rebounding 13 times. She scored a career-best 26 points at Howard (2/1) and had a career-high 17 rebounds against Delaware State (2/24). Mitchell led the MEAC with 13 double-doubles and was ranked fourth in the nation in steals (104) and seventh in steals per game (3.59). Redd averaged 13 points and 7.5 rebounds per game to end the regular season second on the team in both categories. She led the team in blocks with 20, including a season-high four at Norfolk State (2/15). Redd reached double figures in scoring 20 times and had seven double digit rebound games. The Darby, Pa. native, scored a season-high 26 points at Saint Peter's (11/26) and pulled down a season-best 14 rebounds at Delaware State (1/4).
 
DAVIS NAMED MEAC COACH OF THE YEAR: Morgan State head coach Ed Davis, Jr. was named 2019-20 MEAC Coach of the Year. It is the first MEAC honor for Davis, while at Morgan State and the second of his career. Davis, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the Lady Bears, also earned the honor during the 2003-04 season, when he was the head coach at Delaware State. This year Davis guided Morgan State to a second-place tie in the regular season standings and a No. 3 seed in the upcoming tournament. It's the program's highest seed since the Lady Bears were the No. 2 seed heading into the 2010-11 MEAC Tournament. The 16 wins are the most since the 2010-11 squad won 17 games and the 12-4 MEAC mark matches that of the 2009-10 campaign for the best league record, while also tying the 1999-2000 team (12-6) for the school record for most MEAC victories. Morgan earned a non-conference road win over Marshall and went 10-1 at home this season. Davis becomes just the second MSU women's basketball coach to earn MEAC Coach of the Year honors, joining the late Donald Beasley, who received it during the 2006-07 season.
 
NOT THIS TIME; LADY BEARS SECURE NO. 3 SEED: The Morgan State Lady Bears, who have finished in sixth-place the last two seasons, were picked to finish in seventh in this season's MEAC preseason poll as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Not this time. Morgan State would finish the regular season tied for second and earned the No. 3 seed in this week's conference tournament.
 
MARYLAND'S FINEST: Out of all the leading rebounders of the eight Division I women's basketball programs in the State of Maryland, MSU's Chelsea Mitchell ranks first with 9.7 rebounds per contest. A native of Columbia, Md., she has led the team in rebounding 19 times this season, including a season-best 17 rebounds against Delaware State (2/24). She was held without a rebound in the loss at Bethune-Cookman (1/13), which marked the only time this season she failed to grab a rebound.
 
Rk. Name, School  Rebounds
1.         Chelsea Mitchell, Morgan State, 9.7
2.         Chance Graham, Coppin State, 9.4
3.         Stephanie Karcz, Loyola-Maryland, 9.4
4.         Nukiya Mayo, Towson, 7.7
5.         Kaila Charles, Maryland, 7.3
6.         Jen Gast, UMBC, 7.3
7.         Sophie Gatzounas, Navy, 5.2
8.         Bairesha Gill-Miles, Maryland Eastern Shore, 4.9
 
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': Morgan State 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 last year. The Lady Bears' 10-1 record is the program's best home court mark since the 2017-18 team finished 10-3. 
 
HENSON SAVES BEST FOR LAST: Freshman guard Ja'Niah Henson came off the bench to shoot 5-for-7, including 3-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc to tie her season high of 13 points in the win over Norfolk State (3/5). The Baltimore native also finished with four assists, two steals and a rebound in the victory.