GLEN ALLEN, Va. (Oct. 31, 2021)-The Morgan State Lady Bears took home the spoils of the Virginia Union Invitational by winning two Best of 7 Baker matches on Sunday against Sacred Heart and Coppin State.
 
Coming into today's championship rounds, Morgan State was seeded second in total pinfall from the previous two days of competition. It had to face Sacred Heart in a Best of 7 Baker match, who was the #1 seed in the tournament. Morgan State took a commanding 3-0 lead against the Pioneers, but true to the strength of their resolve, Sacred Heart battled back in Game 4 and Game 5 winning 172-161 and 256-190. That's when in Game 6 the Bears unleashed a string of eight strikes in a row from the fifth frame through the 12th, sealing a 258-202 win and match victory by a 4-2 margin. This win earned a bye for the Bears in Round #2 and automatically placed them in the championship match.
 
In the semi-final round it was Coppin State defeating Sacred Heart 4-1, setting up a championship match of the Baltimore crosstown rivals.
 
In the championship match, the Bears again got out to a decisive 3-1 lead against the Lady Eagles. In Game 5 it looked like Morgan State was going to close it out, but Coppin threw five strikes in a row to take Game 5 by a score of 213-199. Then in Game 6 Coppin State finished out with a 180 game. Morgan State needed a double in the 10^th and 11^th frames to win the match. By not doing so, the match would have been tied 3-3 and have to move on to a deciding Game 7. In that moment, Morgan State's anchor, Cheyenne Washington proceeded to through three perfect shots in those final frames to win Game 6 and the championship for the Lady Bears. Morgan State won Game 6, 189-180 and the match by a 4-2 margin.
 
Coach Falbo had a positive takeaway from the Lady Bear's victory. "This team is special in many ways. Every team member contributed on the lanes in significant ways this weekend. This tournament showed tremendous growth in quality shot making in various situations. Their power is impressive and we will continue to improve upon it. This week showed better versatility to inside line play. It's thrilling to see their hard work pay off with this tournament victory."
 
Morgan State Baker Averages: Cheyenne Washington 19.92, Natalia Miranda Vega 19.87, La'Monique Berrios 18.01, Ashanti Fernandes 17.85, Naomi Smith 17.48, Aliya Adams 16.89 and Carrington Beaman 12.0
 
Morgan State junior, La'Monique Berrios earned All-Tournament First Team honors with her 217.6 traditional game average for her five games bowled in Saturday's round of traditional matches. Berrios finished with the second highest scoring average in the tournament.
 
Morgan State will next be in action as they host the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season matches to be held at AMF Woodlawn Lanes in Baltimore, Maryland on November 13^th and 14^th in an event which will feature the 5-game total pinfall Baker format.