COLUMBIA, Mo. (Nov. 14, 2021)-Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank each scored a game-high 20 points, as the host Missouri Tigers defeated Morgan State, 73-49 on Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena.
 
Blackwell shot 6-for-6 from the floor, including a three-pointer and added a game-high 13 rebounds to record her 22nd double-double of her career. Frank shot 8-of-10 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and Haley Troup shot 3-of-5 from downtown to finish with 12 points, as the Tigers improved to 2-0 all-time against Morgan State.
 
Mizzou (2-0) would shoot 55 percent (26-of-47) for the game and was 9-of-20 for 45 percent from three-point range. The Tigers also connected on 12-of-22 (54.5 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Morgan State (0-3) was led by Dahnye Redd and Ashia McCalla, who both scored eight points apiece. Elaija Demeza came off the bench to score seven points. Redd led the team with six rebounds and had a game-high four steals.
 
The Tigers held the guests to 3-of-11 (27 percent) shooting in the first quarter and built a 17-11 lead after one. Mizzou scored the first seven points of the game, before Taylor Addison knocked down a three-pointer to put Morgan on the board. But the four-point deficit would be as close as the Lady Bears would get.
 
Missouri began to pull away in the second quarter when it used an 8-2 run just under five minutes to increase its lead to 16 points (37-21) when Troup connected on two free throws with 1:56 remaining in the half. The Tigers would take a 40-25 lead into the lockerroom.
 
The Lady Bears came out of the break and played its best quarter of basketball against Missouri, nearly playing even to the Tigers, as they would get outscored 16-14 for the period and trailed 56-39 after three.
 
Missouri opened the fourth with a three from Troup, which triggered a 16-4 run over the span of nearly eight minutes. Micah Linthacum ended the spurt with a layup to give the Tigers their largest lead of the contest at 72-43 (29 points) with 2:17 left in the game.
 
Morgan State outscored the Tigers in bench points (23-17) and held a slim 12-10 advantage in second chance points. Points in the paint belonged to Mizzou, which held a 32-16 cushion.
 
The Lady Bears will travel to Syracuse, N.Y. to face the Orange of Syracuse on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
 
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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.