Game 22
Morgan State (14-7, 8-3 MEAC) at Delaware State (0-20, 0-11 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022
Site: Dover, Del. (Memorial Hall)
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Series Record: Delaware State leads, 44-40
T/V: N/A
Audio: HSRN.com
Live Stream: Here
Live Stats: Here
Websites: MorganStateBears.com | dsuhornets.com
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 25, 2022)-The Morgan State women's basketball team will head to Dover, Del. on Saturday to face the Delaware State Hornets in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contest at 2 p.m. at Memorial Hall. The Lady Bears will look to sweep the season series, while spoiling the Hornets' Homecoming and Senior Day festivities.
 
HOW TO WATCH GAMES: All men's and women's basketball home games will be video streamed for free through the MorganStateBears.com website. The latest broadcast and video stream information will always be listed on men's and women's basketball schedule pages at MorganStateBears.com.
 
MEN'S & WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RADIO: All home games and select away games for MSU men's and women's basketball will once again be available through Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com). Lamont Germany will handle play-by-play responsibilities and will also host pre-game and post-game shows. Including exclusive interviews with members of the teams and women's coach Ed Davis and men's coach Kevin Broadus. Fans can download the HSRN app for free and listen to the MSU broadcasts from anywhere. Simply search for HSRN when using the iHeartRadio app.

BEAR CLAWS: Morgan State (14-7, 8-3 MEAC), winners of seven of its last eight games, is coming off a 51-48 victory over Norfolk State on Monday. Charlene Shepherd scored a game-high 14 points, pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and tallied a career- and game-high five blocked shots. Jayla Atmore came off the bench to score 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while Kaia Ponder also grabbed seven boards to help Morgan State hold a 46-35 rebounding advantage over the Spartans.
 
HORNET STINGERS: Delaware State (0-20, 0-11 MEAC) enters the contest searching for its first win of the 2021-22 campaign and is riding a 24-game losing streak dating back to last season. In their last outing, the Hornets suffered a 64-52 loss at South Carolina State on Monday. Breazia Robinson and Janasia Law each scored a team-best 14 points, while Sianny Sanchez-Oliver added 10 points, five assists and three steals in the loss. Unique Miller finished with a game-high 10 rebounds and Robinson added eight.
 
MSU VS. DELAWARE STATE SERIES NOTES: Delaware State leads the all-time series, 44-40. Morgan State has won five straight, including this season's first meeting, 67-42 in Baltimore (2/16).

NEXT UP: Morgan State will close out its home slate on Monday, Feb. 28 when the Lady Bears host Maryland Eastern Shore at 5 p.m. The contest will also be Senior Day, as MSU will honor its five seniors (Jayla Atmore, Khaliah Hines, Ashia McCalla, Dahnye Redd and Charlene Shepherd), prior to the game.
  
MCCALLA MOVING UP SCORING CHART: Senior guard Ashia McCalla scored eight points in Morgan State's 51-48 victory over Norfolk State (2/21) to give her 1,041 career points and move her past former Lady Bear Tracy Lewis (1,039 points from 1989-93) for 15^th all-time in scoring. McCalla is now 24 points away from passing Vinstel Watson (1,064 points from 1987-89) for 14^th and 30 points away from passing Sherie Cornish (1,070 points from 1998-2002) for 12^th on the scoring list.
 
DAVIS RETURNS TO THE HORNETS NEST: Morgan State head coach Ed Davis Jr., will make his 6th trip back to Memorial Hall as an opposing head coach on Saturday, when the Lady Bears travel to Dover, Del. to take on Delaware State. Davis, who once patrolled the sideline for 12 seasons as the head coach of Delaware State, is the winningest coach in Hornets' program history. The Lady Bears have an 11-4 all-time record against DSU, since Davis joined the Morgan State staff as an assistant coach in 2012-13, and have won six of the last nine meetings in Dover.
 
STILL IN THE MIX: With just three regular season games remaining, the Morgan State Lady Bears enter this weekend sitting in a three-way tie for second-place with rival Coppin State and Norfolk State, all with identical 8-3 MEAC records. Howard, the preseason pick to win the regular season crown, is currently atop the league standings with a 9-2 record. Morgan State split the season series against both Howard and Norfolk State, winning at home and losing on the road against both teams. Coppin State defeated Morgan State in the first meeting. The two will close out the season at Coppin State on Thursday, March 3 at 5:30 p.m.
 
BLOCK PARTY: Senior Charlene Shepherd recorded a career- and game-high five blocks in the win over Norfolk State (2/21). A native of Killeen, Texas, Shepherd leads the Lady Bears this season with 19 blocked shots.
 
ADDISON PERFECT FROM THE FLOOR AGAIN: Taylor Addison connected on 7-of-7 shooting to finish with 16 points against Delaware State (2/16). A native of Columbia, Md., Addison knocked down two three-pointers and grabbed six rebounds, Her performance surpassed her season-best of 6-for-6 shooting, including 3-for-3 from three-point range for 18 points against Coppin State (1/15). In that game she was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range and also knocked down all three of her free throw attempts. Addison also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, falling one board shy of recording a double-double.

MCCALLA JOINS 1,000 POINTS CLUB: Senior guard Ashia McCalla scored nine points in the win over South Carolina State (2/14) to become the 16^th Lady Bears in program history to score 1,000 points. The Greenbelt, Md. native, who entered the game needing just nine points, hit a jumper with 4:31 remaining in the third period to give the Lady Bears a 48-32 advantage and give her exactly 1,000 points for her career. McCalla enters today's contest having scored 1,041 points for her career, which ranks 15^th all-time at Morgan State.
 
PROTECTING THE 'HOUSE': Morgan State improved to 8-1 at Hill Field House during the 2021-22 season, following its 51-48 victory over Norfolk State (2/21). With the win, Morgan State has now won 25 of its last 28 home games dating back to the 2018-19 season finale. The Lady Bears' lone home loss this season was a 67-65 setback to Coppin State (1/15) in the MEAC opener. During last year's abbreviated season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, MSU went 6-1 at Hill Field House. The season before that the Lady Bears concluded the 2019-20 campaign with a 10-1 home record, which was the program's best home court mark since the 2017-18 team finished 10-3. 
 
PICKPOCKETS: As a team, Morgan State has recorded 240 steals on the season through 20 games, which ranks No. 1 in the MEAC. Adia Brisker leads the team with 37 steals, while Jayla Atmore has totaled 35 thefts and Taylor Addison has 29. Atmore is averaging 2.1 steals per game, while Brisker is averaging 1.9 steals per game, which ranks fourth and sixth, respectively in the MEAC, while Addison is averaging 1.5 steals a game, which is eighth.
 
TURNING UP THE PRESSURE: To date, Morgan State has forced 459 opponent turnovers (240 by way of steals), while collecting 12 steals per game, which ranks second. Morgan State forced an opponent season-high 40 turnovers out of Washington Adventist (11/24) and turned those turnovers into 40 points. 30 of the turnovers were by way of steals with Adia Brisker and Jayla Atmore leading the way with five steals apiece. The 40 turnovers surpassed the previous season high of 36 by Notre Dame of Maryland (11/19). The Lady Bears scored a season-high 48 points off Notre Dame. 

HALFWAY THERE: Morgan State closed out the first half of the MEAC slate with a 5-2 record and sitting in fourth-place, following its victory over North Carolina Central (2/12). The Lady Bears are 3-1 during the second half, with their lone loss coming on the road at Howard (2/19).
  
THE MAIN EVENT: The Morgan State women's team was featured in Game 2 of its MEAC doubleheader against North Carolina Central (2/12). It marked the second consecutive season that the women's team twice followed the men's game as part of a doubleheader. Earlier this second the Lady Bears and Bears played a non-traditional non-conference doubleheader on Dec. 6, 2021 with the men taking on Millersville and the women's program following in the nightcap against Hofstra. Last season the Lady Bears opened the 2020-21 season as the main event in their season opening doubleheader against the University of Maryland Baltimore County (11/25/20). The men's team opened the doubleheader playing first against Mount St. Mary's. The Lady Bears were also the main event in their MEAC opener at Delaware State (1/4/20). That contest marked the first time in nearly three decades that the women's team followed the men's game in a MEAC doubleheader.
 
SEE YOU REAL SOON: The Lady Bears will play a home-and-home schedule against both North Carolina Central and South Carolina State within a week apart. Morgan State will travel to Durham, N.C. (Feb. 5) and Orangeburg, S.C. (Feb. 7) to face NCCU and SCSU, respectively, before welcoming the Eagles and Bulldogs a week later in Baltimore on Feb. 12 and Feb. 14.
 
HENSON SETS CAREER HIGH: Ja'Niah Henson connected on 6-of-9 shooting to finish with a career- and game-high 20 points on the road at Maryland Eastern Shore (1/31). The Baltimore, Md. native was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range and also knocked down all four of her free throw attempts. Henson also added three assists and two rebounds.  
   
ADDISON PERFECT FROM THE FLOOR: Taylor Addison connected on 6-of-6 shooting to finish with 18 points against Coppin State (1/15). The Columbia, Md. native was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range and also knocked down all three of her free throw attempts. Addison also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, falling one board shy of recording a double-double.
 
STREAKS COME TO AN END AT SIX: Morgan State's loss to Coppin State (1/15) put an end to several active streaks involving the number six (6). Morgan State entered the MEAC season opening contest against Coppin State with a season-long six-game winning streak and had won six consecutive games against the Eagles. The Lady Bears were also sporting a six-game home court winning streak at Hill Field House, dating back to the 2020-21 season. All of that would come to an end, following a 67-65 victory by Coppin State. 
 
38-DAY LAYOFF: Morgan State ended its longest in season hiatus between games in program history when it finally returned to the floor against Coppin State (1/15). It had been 38 days since the Lady Bears last played a game, a 64-55 victory at Loyola Maryland (12/8). Since that time, Morgan has had four games that were canceled or postponed due to Covid protocols either in the MSU or its opponent's program.
 
POSTPONMENTS: Morgan State had its MEAC opener in Durham, N.C. against North Carolina Central (1/8) postponed due to Covid protocols within the Eagles' program. The game will now be played on Feb. 5. The Lady Bears' contest at South Carolina State (1/10) was also postponed because of Covid protocols in the Bulldogs' program. That game is slated to be made up on Monday, Feb. 7 in Orangeburg, S.C. Morgan State's home contest against Delaware State (1/29), which was postponed due to inclement weather, will now be played on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 5 .m. at Hill Field House.
 
WELCOME HOME: A familiar face joined the Morgan State sideline this season with the addition of Jamie Smith as an assistant coach. Smith, who is no stranger to Morgan State, was a three-year starter for the Lady Bears from 2010-13, after transferring from Saint Peter's, following her freshman season. As a sophomore, she helped the Lady Bears advance to the first round of the WNIT against host Virginia, where she scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three-point range. It was Morgan State's first-ever postseason appearance on the Division I level. Smith returns to Morgan State after spending a total of four seasons at Niagara University, the last three as an assistant coach and her first as the Director of Women's Basketball Operations.
 
MSU SECURES NON-CONFERENCE WINNING RECORD: Morgan State secured its second straight non-conference winning record (6-4), following a 64-55 victory at Loyola Maryland (12/8). The Lady Bears' final two originally scheduled games at Kentucky (12/17) and against Penn (12/30) were both cancelled due to Covid protocols. Last season Morgan State finished 3-1 in non-conference competition, to earn its first winning record against non-conference opponents since the 2017-18 campaign (7-6).
 
TAKE SIX: Morgan State upped its season-long winning streak to six games, following a 64-55 victory at Loyola Maryland (12/8). The win also gave the Lady Bears a 3-0 start in December, a month which since 2003, Morgan State has not won more than three games in.
 
A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER: Morgan State, which is having its best month of December in program history, enters the contest 3-0 in the month. Dating back to 2003, the three wins tie for the most victories in December matching the 2006 and 2017 teams, which each went 3-3 in the month. MSU has been off since a 64-55 victory at Loyola Maryland (12/8). The team's road game at Kentucky (12/17) was postponed due to COVID issues within the Morgan program. In the win over Loyola, Dahnye Redd scored a team-high 15 points, Ashia McCalla added 14 and Charlene Shepherd came off the bench to add 10 points and a game-high six rebounds

MORGAN-LOYOLA MARYLAND RENEW SERIES: The Morgan State and Loyola women's basketball programs renewed its series on Dec. 8 after a 35-year hiatus. The Lady Bears would win 64-55. It was the first meeting between the two schools separated by 2.7 miles, since the 1985-86 season. Morgan State now leads the all-time series, 12-2.
 
2022 MEAC TOURNAMENT: The 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 9-12, 2022 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. The annual MEAC Basketball Tournament moved to Norfolk in 2013 after spending the previous four years in Winston-Salem, N.C. from 2009 through 2012.
 
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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.