SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Nov. 9, 2021)-Ioanna Krimili scored a game-high 20 points and Jasmine Gayles came off the bench to add 19 points to lead San Francisco (USF) to a 69-53 non-conference win over Morgan State in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday night at War Memorial Gym at the Sobrato Center.
 
Krimili, a preseason All-West Coast Conference (WCC) selection, who last season was named WCC Newcomer of the Year after breaking the USF record for three-pointers made in a season, shot 7-of-11 from the floor, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Gayles connected on 8-of-9 shooting and knocked down both of her three-point attempts. Amalie Langer added 16 points and Lucija Kostic had a game-high three blocks and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for the Dons, who out rebounded Morgan State, 43-34.
 
The Dons (1-0) would shoot 23-of-42 (54.8) from the floor, while Morgan State was 19-of-71 (26.8) for the game. San Francisco also attempted 27 free throws, connecting on 16 from the line for 59.3 percent. The Lady Bears converted 10-of-16 (62.5) from the charity stripe.
 
Morgan State (0-1) was led by the preseason Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, Dahnye Redd, who finished with a team-high 11 points and tied preseason All-MEAC selection Adia Brisker for team high honors with six rebounds. Ja'Niah Henson, who was also a preseason MEAC selection, totaled 10 points and recorded a game-high three steals, as Morgan State would force a game-high 22 turnovers out of San Francisco, which they turned into 14 points. Brisker, Jayla Atmore and Alaina Payne each recorded two steals for the Lady Bears.  
 
USF outscored Morgan State 18-8 in the first quarter and held a 34-21 advantage at the half. The Dons used a 12-6 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Gayles to start the third quarter, to give the hosts their largest lead of the game (19 points) at 46-27 with 5:11 remaining in the quarter.
 
The Lady Bears would counter with an 18-10 spurt over the next nine minutes, capped off by a three-pointer from Addison to cut the deficit to 56-45 with 5:53 left in the game.
 
However, that would be as close as Morgan would get, as the Dons scored the next seven points in part of a 13-8 run to close out the game.
 
The Lady Bears will return to action on Thursday, Nov. 11 when they face third-ranked and defending National Champion Stanford. Tip-off is at 6 pm ET.
 
BEAR CLAWS

• Morgan State fell to 12-33 all-time in season openers dating back to 1977.
• Tuesday's contest was the first meeting between the two schools.
• This was Morgan State's first visit to California since the 2001-02 season when they visited Cal State Fullerton and the University of Southern California.
• The California trip is a homecoming of sorts for San Francisco native freshman Emily Jones, who played at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and fellow freshman Joel Benoit, who is from Sacramento.

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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.