BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 30, 2021)-Baltimore native Ja'Niah Henson scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the first half and Ashia McCalla added 12 points to lead visiting Morgan State to a 69-51 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division victory over rival Coppin State on Saturday afternoon at the Physical Education Complex (PEC) Arena.
 
Morgan State, which earned its fourth straight victory, improved to 7-2 on the season and 4-1 in the MEAC. Coppin State dropped its fourth consecutive game and fell to 1-6, 1-4 in the MEAC.
 
Henson shot 6-of-12, including 3-of-5 from three-point range and added six rebounds, a game-high three steals and an assist in the victory. Dahnye Redd pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go with nine kills, while Jayla Atmore, who was making her Morgan State debut, came off the bench to score nine points, pulled down five boards and had two steals.
 
"Today was very important, especially with me being a Baltimore native," said Henson. "I already know about the rivalry and it's just extremely important to get the win. It's bragging rights. With me being the point guard, I was still trying to play within the flow of the offense. So, I had open shots as well and with me being open, I hit those shots."
 
After an 8-8 game at the end of the first quarter, both teams picked up the scoring in the second period and the Lady Bears took a 24-21 advantage into the locker room at the break and extended its cushion to six points (41-35) heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Morgan State would erupt for a season-high 28-point quarter in the fourth. Leading 45-39, Morgan State went on a 14-6 run, capped off by Redd hitting a free throw to complete a three-point play with 2:16 remaining in the game to give the guests a 59-45 lead. The Lady Bears closed out the game converting eight straight free throws to seal the win.


 
Coppin State was led by Aliyah Lawson, who finished with a career- and game-high 27 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to collect a double-double. Jalynda Salley came off the bench to score 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and had a game-high two blocks.
 
Morgan State shot 32 percent (19-of-59) for the game, including 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) from three-point range. The Lady Bears also finished the game connecting on 27-of-31 (87 percent) from the free throw line, as five Morgan State players were perfect from the charity stripe.
 
The Eagles hit 18-of-60 (30 percent) and was 5-of-30 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Coppin State went to the line 17 times and knocked down 10 for 59 percent.
 
Defensively the Lady Bears had 13 steals and forced 23 Coppin State turnovers for the game, converting those into 17 points. Morgan State would outrebound the Eagles, 45-41 with 28 of their 45 rebounds coming on the defensive end.
 
Game 2 of the series, originally scheduled for Sunday's game (Jan. 31) at Coppin State has been moved to Tuesday, Feb. 2 due to the impending winter storm. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the PEC Arena.
 
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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.