STRUTHERS, Ohio (Oct. 16, 2022)--The Morgan State Lady Bears bowling team went 2-2 in Sunday's matches and finished in 8^th place at the MOTIV Penguin Classic, hosted by Youngstown State University.
 
In the final three rounds of round robin play, Morgan State went 2-1 in traditional match play. The matches went as follows:
 
#19 Morgan State 908, Valparaiso 879
In a match which was competitive from the onset, Morgan State put together a clean ninth and 10^th frames to grab the lead by the middle of the 10^th frame and hold on for the victory against Valparaiso. Notable scores for the Bears: Cheyenne Washington 197, Johnna Hill 192, Ashanti Fernandes 184 and Naomi Smith 179.
 
#19 Morgan State 840, #9 Youngstown State 947
This match had the Lady Bears facing the host school, Youngstown State University. Neither team could find a consistent line to the pocket, but a couple of Youngstown players found strings of strikes midway through to gain a lead which they never relinquished. Johnna Hill and Ashanti Fernandes led the Bears with score of 195 and 183, respectively.
 
#19 Morgan State 928, Wright State 829
It was a decisive win in the last round robin match of the day. Three players contributed with nice scoring to close out traditional play: Cheyenne Washington 216, Ashanti Fernandes 208 and Johnna Hill 190.
 
In the final match of the day, Morgan State faced Central Missouri in a battle for seventh place. Central Missouri came into this round as the seventh-seed and Morgan State came into this round as the eighth-seed. The format for the match was Best 4-of-7 Baker. Both teams battled hard with five games in the match close in scoring. Central Missouri prevailed 4-2.

The match scores were as follows:
Game 1 – Central Missouri 219 / Morgan State 179                                                        
Game 2 – Morgan State 209 / Central Missouri 188                                                
Game 3 – Morgan State 210 / Central Missouri 184                                                  
Game 4 – Central Missouri 148 / Morgan State 142                                                   
Game 5 – Central Missouri 202 / Morgan State 190                                                         
Game 6 – Central Missouri 177 / Morgan State 174
 
Morgan State Baker Averages for Sunday's Round:
Cheyenne Washington 19.74, Natalia Miranda Vega 18.75, Johnna Hill 18.66, Ashanti Fernandes 18.4 and Aliya Adams 17.0
 
Morgan State's traditional averages for Sunday's round for those with three countable games: Cheyenne Washington 192.67, Ashanti Fernandes 191.67, Johnna Hill 191.33 and Naomi Smith 169
 
The top three traditional averages over the course of Saturday and Sunday's rounds: Cheyenne Washington 200.5 (8 games), Johnna Hill 197.16 (6 games) and Ashanti Fernandes 192.71 (7 games).
 
"We had some very notable performances this weekend in closing out matches in the 9^th and 10^th frames," said Morgan State head coach Tom Falbo. "We also have work to do to elevate our play, and we plan to tackle it head on as we prepare for the Golden Bear Invite this week. It is a great group of ladies with unmatched work ethic to the game."
 
Morgan State will next be in action in Sinking Spring, Pa. on October 22^nd and 23^rd where they will be competing in the Golden Bear Invite hosted by Kutztown University.
 
 
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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.