BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 3, 2021)-What a difference 24 hours can make. Just a day ago, visiting Howard didn't look like a team that was predicted to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason poll, while Morgan didn't look like a team picked to finish second, following a 73-48 victory by Howard in Game 1 on Saturday.
 
The Lady Bears, who were coming off their first home loss of the season, rebounded on Sunday to defeat the Bison, 71-58 in the finale of their MEAC weekend series to earn a split at Hill Field House. 
 
Sophomore Ja'Niah Henson scored a game-high 19 points to lead four Lady Bears in double figures scoring. Senior Dahnye Redd finished with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, sophomore Adia Brisker came off the bench to score 12 and senior Sydney Searcy added 11, as Morgan State improved to 4-1 at home this season.
 
Morgan State's patience and shot selection, coupled with its intensity and defensive pressure was the difference between today's victory and Saturday's loss. The Lady Bears forced the guests into 31 turnovers, which they were able to turn into 35 points.
 
Morgan State (4-2, 1-1 MEAC) also did a defensive number on Howard's Jayla Thornton, who entered the game averaging a MEAC leading 17.8 points per game. Morgan State frustrated Thornton, holding her scoreless on 0-5 shooting – all from three-point range – and forced her into four turnovers, just a day after she scored a game-high 21 points in the series opener.
 
Howard (5-2, 1-1 MEAC) took an 11-8 advantage, following a layup by Makayla Minett. But that would be the last lead of the game for the Bison. The Lady Bears closed out the final 2:10 of the first period scoring nine straight points to take a 17-11 lead. Morgan State then scored the first four points to start the second quarter to cap off a 13-0 spurt and give the Lady Bears a 21-11 lead.
 
A year ago, Morgan State made a habit of outscoring its opponents in the third quarter by a combined 84 points (508-424). That trend continued Sunday afternoon, as the Lady Bears put up a season-best 26 points in the third quarter and outscored the guests by eight.
 
The Lady Bears built on their 31-21 halftime lead by opening up the third quarter scoring nine straight points to increase their advantage to 40-22. Morgan State later used a 9-2 run to take its largest lead of the day (20 points) at 55-35 when Khaliah Hines hit a free throw with 1:26 to play in the third.
 
Howard got within 12 at 64-52 after Aniya Wilson knocked down a trey from the right wing, but that was as close as the Bison would get. Morgan scored the next seven points to extend its cushion to 71-52, before surrendering the final six points to Howard.
 
Morgan State finished the game shooting 24-of-54 (44.4 percent) from the floor. The Lady Bears also shot 76.9 percent (20-of-26) from the free throw line.
 
Howard finished 17-of-44 (38.6 percent) shooting from the floor, including 8.3 percent from three-point range after going 1-for-12. The Bison also finished the game connecting on 23-of-32 (72 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Iyanna Warren led the Bison with 18 points, while Anzhane Hutton finished with 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Brooklyn Fort-Davis pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Morgan State will be off until Saturday, Jan. 9, when it travels to Dover, Del., to take on Delaware State in a MEAC contest at Memorial Hall. The weekend series will conclude on Sunday. The Hornets (1-2, 0-0 MEAC) are scheduled to begin conference play on Monday, Jan. 4-Tuesday, Jan. 5 on the road at Coppin State. 



 FOLLOW US IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
            Facebook: /MorganStateBears
            Twitter: @MorganStBears
            Instagram: /MorganStateBears

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.