SINKING SPRING, Pa. (Oct. 24, 2022)--The Morgan State Lady Bears bowling team took third place at the Golden Bear Invite hosted by Kutztown University on Sunday at Berks Lanes. Morgan State ended the weekend with an 8-2 record.
 
After the end of today's round robin play which consisted of four (4) 5-game total pin fall Baker matches, there were four teams with identical 7-2 records. Tie-breaker seeding was based on how the tied teams performed head-to-head against each other. It resulted in Morgan State being the third seed, slated to face the fourth seed, Wilmington in a Best 4-of-7 Baker Match Play.
 
What follows is the result of the round robin matches and the Best 4-of-7 match:
 
#19 Morgan State 960, Wilmington 882
After three games Morgan State had only a nine-pin advantage over their first opponent of the day, Wilmington. It was then the Bears took control, firing games of 187 and 201 to close out the match in convincing fashion. Natalia Miranda Vega led the striking from the anchor position, shooting 10 strikes during the match. Naomi Smith came in the final three frames of the match and threw three strikes in a row to help the Bears.
 
#19 Morgan State 951, Molloy 823
In the second match of the day, Morgan State took control early and stayed consistent throughout. They gained a 130-pin advantage after three games and secured the win in Match 2. Johnna Hill led the team in strikes with six.
 
#19 Morgan State 933, #10 Fairleigh Dickenson 1,000
In a key match for the Bears, the two teams battled head-to-head for three games with Morgan holding a three-pin lead (601-598). It was the last two games which saw the Knights make a handful of key shots which was the difference in the match and enough to secure a hard fought win over Morgan. Johnna Hill had eight strikes during the match and was moved to the anchor spot midway. Aliya Adams had five strikes and Naomi Smith with four strikes.
 
#19 Morgan State 931, Felician 916
In the final match of the day Morgan State got out to a hot start with games of 204 and 224 and held off a hard charging Felician team to end the round robin play with a 7-2 record. Hill had six strikes for the Bears. Both Naomi Smith and Cheyenne Washington contributed with five strikes and Aliya Adams had four strikes.
 
Match Play Best 4-of-7 Baker
#19 Morgan State 4, Wilmington 1
Morgan State took a commanding three games to none lead over Wilmington before they battled back to take Game 4 from the Bears. In Game 5, Morgan took control due to some open frames from their opponent and closed out the match to seal their third place honors in the tournament.
 
Morgan State Baker Frame Averages:  Johnna Hill 21.3 (49 frames), Naomi Smith 19.28 (43 frames), Natalia Miranda Vega 18.77 (40 frames), Cheyenne Washington 18.55 (27 frames), Aliya Adams 18.32 (49 frames), Ashanti Fernandes 16.74 (27 frames) and La'Monique Berrios 15.83 (12 frames).
 
"We got early control of our scoring today, which puts us in much better position in matches heading into the stretch," said Morgan State head coach Tom Falbo, as he reflected on the weekend. "We went toe to toe with FDU (Fairleigh Dickinson) for three games, until in Game 4, FDU made some key shots to pull ahead. We're going to get back to work on our physical games and spare shooting as we move into the November swing with conference play up next."
 
Morgan State freshman Johnna Hill was the second highest average bowler in the tournament with a 201.8 average, taking home all-tournament team honors in just her second collegiate tournament. She threw games of 202-196-213-219-179 during Saturday's traditional matches.
 
"Johnna has great for the team and has quickly made a name for herself out here two weeks in a row. She has spot-on instincts for her own game and her ability to repeat shots is impressive. I congratulate her for her well-deserved honors this past week as MEAC Rookie of the Week and this weekend for her all-tournament honors.
 
Morgan will next compete at the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season event on November 11^th and 12^th at Millsoboro Lanes hosted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.


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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.