BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 23, 2022)-The Morgan State Lady Bears traveled to Staten Island, NY to compete in the Wagner Seahawk Invitational at Rab's Country Lanes.

Day #1 saw Morgan State go 4-1 in traditional game play beating Adelphi, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Molloy and Caldwell in its first four matches. It was in Match 5 where the Bears took their only loss of the day against Saint Francis – Brooklyn.
 
Highlights of Saturday's 5 Traditional Matches:

• Natalia Miranda Vega averaged 184.2 to finish fifth in the field in scoring. La'Monique Berrios averaged 182 to finish seventh overall in the field. Both players were named to the all-tournament team, as seven spots were awarded the honor.
• In games over 200 on Saturday's PBA pattern, Miranda Vega shot the highest game for the Bears on Saturday with a 237 and also added a 216, Cheyenne Washington fired a 224, and Ashanti Fernandes had a 200 in game #1 for the Bears.
• Freshmen Carrington Beaman and Naomi Smith came off the bench in Match #3 against Malloy in the closing frames to help gain a convincing win against Malloy (940 – 865).

Day #2 consisted of 5 matches of 5-game Total Pinfall Baker. The Bears went 3-2 on the day. Here is the match rundown:

Morgan State 903, Saint Francis (PA)     906 
After a blistering 238 start for the Bears and a 76 pins lead after game #1, the   Red Flash stayed consistent to pull within 17 pins of Morgan State heading into the 5^th and final game. There Saint Francis bested the Bears 209-189 to win the match by 3 pins.                                                                                                    

Morgan State 976, Wagner 859
The next match saw a more predictable read and the Lady Bears stayed consistent for their highest set of the day firing games of 177-215-193-189-202.

Morgan State 871, Adelphi 1,005                         
Morgan State could not get the carry or find the consistency to keep pace with Adelphi in match #3. The Bears had beaten them on Saturday in Traditional play but could not gain traction against them on Sunday.
           
Morgan State 898, Saint Thomas Aquinas 887
In a match which saw St. Thomas Aquinas leading after three games, the Bears found their resolve to fire games of 202 and 207 to seal and 11 pin win.    
                                                                                       
Morgan State 902, Molloy 879 
In the final match of the day Morgan stayed consistent and just ahead of Molloy throughout a closely contested match to get the win.
 
Here were the Baker Frame Averages for Sunday's round: Natalia Miranda Vega – 20.00, Cheyenne Washington – 19.89, Naomi Smith – 19.33, La'Monique Berrios 19.27, Carrington Beaman 17.89, Ashanti Fernandes – 16.72

Morgan State finished in second place in the tournament with a total pinfall of 8,867. Adelphi took first place in the event with a pinfall of 9,123. Natalia Miranda Vega and La'Monique Berrios are no strangers to receiving All-Tournament honors, and both were named to the All-Tournament team on Sunday with Miranda Vega finishing fifth in the field and Berrios finishing seventh.
   
Morgan State head coach Thomas Falbo commented on the team's weekend and player honors. "Our team fought with everything they had on Saturday that featured a short PBA pattern. By the third game the oil depleted to 25 feet and we were fortunate to come away with a 4-1 record," said Falbo.

"On Sunday, we let the first match get away from us, but saw moments where we were down and needed to step up, which is what the ladies did. As for Lamo and Natalia, Lamo stayed consisted with high pin count and filled her makeable spares. Natalia bowled fantastic through four games, averaging 201.25. Game #5 saw severe transition and I needed to make better decisions for her in that situation. Both players deserve congratulations for their deserved honors."
 
Next up for Morgan State will be the Red Flash Invitational on January 28-30, 2022 at Holiday Bowl in Altoona, Pa.

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 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.