BALTIMORE, Md. (March 6, 2022)-The Morgan State Lady Bears took home the gold at the TNBA/HBCU Invitational by going 3-0 on Sunday in the Best-of-7 Baker matches, culminating with their 4-1 championship match win against Florida A&M. Also, Morgan State senior, Ashanti Fernandes placed first in the individual standings in Saturday's traditional round of competition.
 
Coming into today's championship rounds, Morgan State was seeded 2^nd in total pinfall from the previous two days of competition. They had to face Alabama State in a Best-of-7 Baker match, who was the #1 seed in the tournament.
 
In Game 1 it came down to the 10^th frame with Morgan State needing three strikes to tie the Hornets. Morgan's anchor, Natalia Miranda Vega proceeded to throw three perfect strikes to end Game 1 with a 164-164 tie. In Games 2 and 3, each team got a win moving the match score to 1.5 to 1.5. Then in Game 4 the exact scenario in Game 1 happened again. Alabama State finished with a 206. Morgan again needing three strikes in a row in the 10^th frame to tie the match. Again it was Miranda Vega who commanded the moment and struck three times in a row to end Game 4 with a 206-206 tie, moving the match score to 2-2.
 
Then Morgan took command in Game 5 with a 223-173 victory, moving the match in their favor to 3-2. In Game 6 they started strong and stayed consistent, closing out the match against the Hornets 199-155 for a 4-2 victory.
 
That win earned an automatic placing in the Round 3 Championship match. In Round 2 the Bears faced Grambling State. With all players competing in the match, Morgan State earned a 4-0 victory.
 
In the semi-final round, it was Florida A&M defeating Alabama State 4-0, setting up a championship match with Bears facing the Rattlers.
 
In the championship match, the Bears again got out to a decisive 3-0 lead against FAMU. In Game 4 the Rattlers battled back, bowing well to take Game 4, 211-201, moving the match score to 3-1 in favor of Morgan State. The Lady Bears won Game 5 184-152 and the match by a 4-1 margin. This victory was Morgan State's fourth tournament victory on the season.
 
Morgan State Baker Averages for Sunday's Round: La'Monique Berrios 22.29, Natalia Miranda Vega 21.20, Cheyenne Washington 19.88, Aliya Adams 18.03, Ashanti Fernandes 17.30, Naomi Smith 16.14, and Carrington Beaman 15.71.
 
Morgan State senior, Ashanti Fernandes earned Most Valuable Player honors with her 203.2 average for her five games bowled in Saturday's round of traditional matches, rolling games of 220-191-192-189-224.
 
Morgan State head coach Thomas Falbo's reaction of the Lady Bear's victory, "This team came together on Sunday and every team member contributed on the lanes and with their support for each other. This tournament showed resiliency and quality shot making in key situations. Natalia's performance in the 10^th frame in two key situations was among the best responses I've seen in my career. It was exciting to see the ladies performance on Sunday earn this tournament victory."
 
Regarding Fernandes earning MVP honors, "Ashanti was able to manipulate her hand position all day on a tight pattern that really didn't open up until Game 5," said Falbo. Then with seeing more ball motion she was able to finish strong with her 224 game. Congratulations to her on her well deserved honor."
 
On Saturday, the Lady Bears placed three players in the top 13 in the traditional game individual standings: Ashanti Fernandes at #1, Aliya Adams at #12 and La'Monique Berrios at #13.
 
Morgan State will next be in action at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships on March 24 – 27 at Pinboy's at the Beach in Virginia Beach, Va. The Bears will be facing Monmouth University in their first round match to start the championship.