GLEN ALLEN, Va. (Oct. 29, 2021)-The Morgan State Lady Bears traveled to Glen Allen, Va. to compete in the Virginia Union Invitational, hosted by Virginia Union University at Bowl America – Short Pump. After Day 1, Morgan State beat another nationally ranked opponent, went 4-1 on the day and sits in second out of nine teams heading into Saturday.
 
Highlights of Friday's 5-game Baker Matches:
•Morgan State beats #12 Sacred Heart, 989-947 in Match #2.
•Cheyenne Washington and Natalia Miranda Vega averaged 19.98 and 19.12, respectively for the day.
•Naomi Smith came off the bench and averaged 18.88 in the final match of the day against Johnson C. Smith.
 
Friday's 5-game Baker Total Pinfall Matches:
Morgan State 824, Bowie State 857  
Here, the fresh lanes of the pair Morgan State started were the toughest pair to solve. The frustration carried over to their second balls where the Bears missed some easy spares in uncharacteristic fashion.
                             
Morgan State 989, #12 Sacred Heart 947
The next match saw a more predictable read and the Lady Bears took charge in game #1 through 3 of the 5-game match, besting the 12^th-ranked Pioneers, 221-181, 195-158 and 196-191. The Bears finished with a 185 and a 184, holding off a late charge from Sacred Heart to seal the win.
 
Morgan State 875, Virginia State 756
The highlight of this match was a 224 game in game #4 of the match to carry enough pinfall to send the match in the Bears favor.
           
Morgan State 926, Coppin State 857
In the match of the crosstown rivals in Baltimore, the Bears grew a 4 game pinfall lead with strong games of 225 and 203 in games 2 and 4. The 78 pin lead was too much for Coppin who put in a good run in the early frames of game 7, and Morgan came out with the win.
                                                                         
Morgan State 945, Johnson C. Smith 754
Both Naomi Smith and Carrington Beaman came into the lineup in the last match of the day against Johnson C. Smith. With games of 223 and 203 in games #2 and #3, the Bears held serve all match to come away with a decisive win.
 
Sacred Heart leads the tournament with a pinfall of 4,682 and the Bears hold second place with a total pinfall of 4,559. The two teams will face off in a position round in Match #1 on Saturday in the Traditional Match format.
 
Here are the Baker Frame Averages for Morgan State for Friday's matches:
Cheyenne Washington – 19.98, Natalia Miranda Vega – 19.12, Naomi Smith – 18.88, Ashanti Fernandes – 18.02, LaMonique Berrios – 17.69, Aliya Adams – 17.28, Carrington Beaman 12.00.
 
Coach Falbo said about the day, "The pair we started on was a nightmare, however we have to be stronger on our spares in those situations. Beginning in Match #2 against Sacred Heart, I could tell our look was back and the ladies took control against a really good Sacred Heart team. The rest of the day I was pleased to see us play transition much better for every player. They read the lanes well and executed in the latter part of the day much better. We're strong in our process right now and will keep in the moment to push our scoring higher."
 
Tomorrow the Bears enter traditional match play at Bowl America Short Pump. Five matches will be bowled and the total pinfall for both Friday and Saturday's rounds will determine the seeding for Sunday's Best-of-7 Bracket Final.