BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 28, 2022)-The Morgan State women's basketball team closed out their 2021-22 home slate on Monday evening, by defeating intrastate and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe, Maryland Eastern Shore (MDES), 62-60 on Senior Night.
 
Morgan State (16-7, 10-3 MEAC), winners of 26 of its last 29 home contests dating back to the 2018-19 season, closed out the home portion going 9-1 at Hill Field House this season, including winning their final six at home. Their lone home loss came in the MEAC opener (1/15) – a two-point loss to rival Coppin State. The Lady Bears will close out the regular season on Thursday, March 3 at Coppin State.
 
Ja'Niah Henson came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points, including knocking down 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to lead four Lady Bears in double figures scoring. Senior Jayla Atmore, playing in her final home game of her career, added 12 points, two boards, an assist and a steal, while Adia Brisker came off the bench to score 11 points, pulled down a game-high seven rebounds and added a team-best two steals, a block and an assist.
 
Taylor Addison, who was returning back to the lineup after missing the past three games due to an injury, scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, had three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Senior Charlene Shepherd, who was also playing in her final home game, recorded eight points, four rebounds, a game-high three assists, a steal and had a game-high two blocks.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore (10-15, 6-7 MEAC), which has now lost nine of the past 12 meetings against Morgan State, scored seven straight points to jump out to a 13-6 advantage. Morgan State responded with a 7-2 run of its own, capped off by a three-pointer by Henson to bring the hosts within a point at 16-15 after a quarter of play.
 
From that point on the game for the most part tightly contested throughout. Morgan State, which carried a 32-31 advantage into the intermission, built a 48-43 lead late in the third quarter on a jumper by Henson at the 2:29 mark. But the Hawks would score the next four points to pull within 48-47 heading into the final quarter.
 
A jumper by Atmore led to back-to-back three-pointers from Henson and Brisker and Atmore added another jumper on the backend of a 10-1 spurt by the Lady Bears to put the hosts in front, 58-51 with 4:41 left in the game.
 
The Hawks would not go away, as they responded with a 7-2 run, capped off by a trey from Brooklyn Bailey to bring MDES within 60-58 with 35 seconds left.
 
Addison then connected on two free throws to give Morgan a 62-58 lead and all but seal the game with five seconds remaining. However, the Hawks' Amanda Carney would be fouled on a three-pointer attempt. Carney would make the last two of the three attempts from the game's 62-60 final score.   
 
MDES, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end, was led by Bailey, who came off the bench and finished with a team-high 12 points. Mahogany Lester also came off the bench to score 10 points and recorded the Hawks' lone block, while Ariana Seawell finished with 10 points. Seawell and Lester each tallied a team-high seven rebounds for MDES, who held a 40-35 rebounding advantage over Morgan State.
 
The Lady Bears will close out the regular season on Thursday, March 3, when they visit crosstown foe Coppin State for the finale. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Physical Education Complex Arena on the Coppin State campus.
 
The Eagles (15-11, 9-4 MEAC), who are coming off a 67-55 victory at home over Delaware State on Monday, won the first meeting over Morgan State on Jan. 15, defeating the Lady Bears 67-65 in the MEAC opener at Hill Field House.

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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.