Game 16 (MEAC Contest)
Morgan State (9-6, 2-0 MEAC) at Howard (6-10, 2-1 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023
Site: Washington, D.C. (Burr Gymnasium)
Time: 2 p.m.
Series Record: Howard leads, 55-24
Audio: HSRN.com
TV: N/A
Live Stream: Here
Live Stats: Here
Websites: MorganStateBears.com | hubison.com
 
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 18, 2023)--The Morgan State Lady Bears travel to the Nation's Capital this Saturday, Jan. 21 to take on the Howard Bison in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contest a 2 p.m. inside Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. It will be the Lady Bears' first game this season against the defending champions. Last season the two teams shared the league's regular season crown along with Norfolk State. Howard leads the Battle of the Beltways series, 55-24.
 
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 (9-6, 2-0 MEAC) remained unbeaten in league play, following their 61-46 MEAC victory at Coppin State on Saturday. Charlene Shepherd scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Sunshine McCrae added 12 points and had seven rebounds. Taylor Addison pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to go with six points and a team-high two blocks. Sedayjha Payne recorded seven rebounds and six points. The win was the Lady Bears' 11^th in the last 12 meetings against the Eagles.
 
BISON HOOVES: Defending MEAC Tournament champion Howard (6-10, 2-1 MEAC),
The Bison enter the contest coming off a 64-37 loss at Norfolk State (1/14). The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Bison. It was the first meeting between the two teams since last year's MEAC title game won by Howard, 61-44. Brooklyn Fort-Davis led Howard with 10 points, while Destiny Howell added eight and Aziah Hudson had seven. Kaniyah Harris pulled down a team-high four rebounds and shared team high honors with Howell with three assists.
 
MSU VS. HU SERIES NOTES: Saturday's game will be the 80^th meeting in their storied Beltway rivalry. The Bison lead the all-time series, 55-24 after the two split last season's series with each team winning on their home floor.
 
NEXT UP: Morgan State will return home to host Norfolk State on Monday, Jan. 23 at 4 p.m. for Battle of the Hall/Residence Life Appreciation Night at Hill Field House. The time of the game has been changed to accommodate the men's game, which will follow at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU. It will be first meeting between the two teams since the Spartans defeated Morgan State, 53-51 in the semifinals of last season's MEAC Tournament.  
 
SHEPHERD NAMED MEAC CO-PLAYER AGAIN: Graduate forward Charlene Shepherd was named Co-MEAC Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. It was her third honor overall, as she also earned defensive honors (12/13). A native of Killeen, Texas, Shepherd knocked down 11 field goals to finish with a game- and career-high 27 points, while adding eight rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block.
 
ADDISON EARNS MEAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER HONORS: Taylor Addison was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week (1/17). It was her first league honor this season and second of her career. The graduate forward from Columbia, Md., recorded a game-high 11 rebounds (six defensive) and tied for game high honors with five steals against Coppin State. It was the third time this season that she tallied double digit rebounds in a game. Addison also had a team-best two blocked shots to go with six points.
 
HENSON CLOSING IN ON 800 POINTS: Senior guard Ja'Niah Henson scored five points in the win at Coppin State (1/14), giving her 730 for her career. The Baltimore native is now 70 points away from scoring 800 for her career at Morgan State.
 
SHEPHERD POSTS A CAREER-HIGH 27 POINTS: For the second game in a row, Charlene Shepherd set a career high in points. The Killeen, Texas native scored a career- and game-high 27 points on 11 made baskets in the win at Coppin State (1/14). Her scoring performance surpassed her previous high of 26 points in the MEAC season opening win against North Carolina Central (1/7).
 
ANOTHER VICTIM: Coppin State became the seventh team this season to fall victim to Morgan State's defense and score less than 10 points in the fourth quarter. Morgan State would outscore their rivals, 20-5 in the fourth period. The Lady Bears forced 30 Coppin turnovers in the game, which they turned into 27 points.
 
SHEPHERD NAMED MEAC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Graduate forward Charlene Shepherd was named MEAC Co-Player of the Week (1/10). Shepherd scored a game-high 26 points on 7-of-10 shooting and knocked down 12-of-13 free throws in the MEAC season-opening win over NCCU. She fell one rebound shy of a double-double, while also collecting a pair of steals.
 
TRACKING COACH DAVIS TO 100 – WIN NO. 91: Morgan State head coach Edward Davis picked up his 91st career coaching victory at Morgan State, following the Lady Bears' 61-46 victory at Coppin State (1/14). Davis, who took over the helm of the Morgan State women's program for the 2016-17 season, currently ranks third all-time on the career coaching victories chart.
 
PROTECTING THE 'HOUSE': With its win over North Carolina Central (1/7), Morgan State improved to 7-0 on the season, extended its home winning streak to 13 straight and has now won 33 of its last 36 home games dating back to the 2018-19 campaign. The Lady Bears went 9-1 at Hill Field House during the 2021-22 season. During an abbreviated 2020-21 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.
 
SUNSHINING: Senior forward Sunshine McCrae has taken her game to another level this season. The 6-foot-1 native of Enola, Pa., is currently averaging 7.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. McCrae has reached double figures seven times this season, including five of the last six games and has recorded a double-double. McCrae was on fire for the month of December, averaging 13 points and 5.7 rebounds, while starting all four games. She scored a season-high 15 points at Texas State (12/11) and added 14 points at Kansas State (12/21). Her lone double-double of the season came against Washington Adventist (11/16), when she grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds, scored 10 points and totaled four steals.
 
THAT'S A FIRST: Last season the Lady Bears captured their first-ever MEAC regular season crown in program history, as they finished in a three-way tie with Howard and Norfolk State for a share of the 2021-22 MEAC crown. All three teams split the season series against one another going 1-1 and finished with identical 11-3 MEAC records. The Lady Bears were honored during the football team's season finale against Howard (11/19) and will be recognized again on Monday, Jan. 23 when both the women's and men's basketball teams face Norfolk State.
 
IT TAKES A THIEF: Morgan State forced 314 opponent turnovers, while recording 172 steals. The Lady Bears forced a season-high 30 turnovers at Coppin State (1/14), while recording a season-high 21 steals against Coppin. Charlene Shepherd and Ja'Niah Henson lead the Lady Bears with 35 steals, while Taylor Addison has 23. Emily Jones has 19 and Sunshine McCrae has totaled 17 steals.
 
FOURTH QUARTER LOCKDOWN: Morgan State has held seven of its first 15 opponents under 10 points in the fourth quarter, including an opponent low three points by Washington Adventist (11/16). In its win over rival Towson, Morgan State held the Tigers to 2-of-15 shooting in the fourth quarter to outscore them 18-4 in the fourth quarter. The Lady Bears have outscored their opponents, 261-171 in the fourth quarter, thus far. Only Virginia (21 points) and Kansas State (24 points) have scored 20-plus points against Morgan in the fourth quarter. 
 
SHEPHERD JOINS 500 REBOUND CLUB: Charlene Shepherd pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in the win over North Carolina Central (1/7) to give her a combined 503 rebounds for her career. Shepherd, who now has 511 career rebounds, began her collegiate career at North Texas, where she recorded 293 boards in 67 games for the Mean Green. She currently has totaled 218 boards in 36 games played at Morgan State.
 
THE RIVALRY CONTINUES: Morgan State took Round 1 against rival Coppin State, 61-46 on Saturday, Jan. 14 in the 89^th meeting of the annual 'East vs. West' season series. Also known as the 'Battle of Baltimore' or simply 'Coppin-Morgan', this season marks the third consecutive season that Morgan State and Coppin State will close out the regular season playing against each other in the season finale, scheduled for Thursday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House.

MSU SECURES NON-CONFERENCE WINNING RECORD AGAIN: Despite closing out the 2022 portion of the schedule on a season-long four-game losing skid, the Lady Bears secured their third consecutive winning record against non-conference opponents, following its win at rival Towson (11/30). Last season Morgan State finished 6-4 in non-conference play and went 3-1 during the 2020-21 campaign, which was shortened due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
SHEPHERD EARNS MEAC DEFENSIVE HONOR: Morgan State graduate forward Charlene Shepherd was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week (12/13). The 6-foot-2 Killeen, Texas native grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds – 10 on the defensive end – and picked up two steals against Texas State (12/11). Shepherd also scored a game-high 17 points to record her second straight double-double and third of the season.
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY COACH: Even though Morgan's game at Texas A&M (12-4) was canceled, Morgan State head coach Ed Davis celebrated a birthday. It was to be the third time since Davis took over the helm at Morgan State during the 2016-17 season that he would have coached on his birthday. Davis, who is 1-1 when coaching on his birthday, defeated Florida International at home, 62-51 on Dec. 4, 2017 and lost at Hofstra 51-39 on Dec. 4, 2019.
 
MORGAN IN THE PUERTO RICO CLASICO: Over the Thanksgiving holiday break, the Lady Bears made their fifth appearance in the Puerto Rico Clasico event and the fourth trip to Puerto Rico. Morgan State would drop both of its contests against Stephen F. Austin (60-36) and Boston College (75-34). The Lady Bears, who fell to 0-9 all-time in the tournament, first competed in the event during the 2016-17 season and attended four straight years from 2016-20. The 2017 tournament was moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. due to the damage of Hurricane Maria.
 
LADY BEARS SET RECORD WITH 6-0 START: Morgan State's 6-0 mark to start the season set the program record for best season start. It surpassed the school's previous mark set by the 1983-84 team, which began the season 4-0.

HENSON NAMED MEAC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior guard Ja'Niah Henson was named MEAC Co-Player of the Week (11/15) along with Norfolk State's Kierra Wheeler. Henson averaged 16 points per game to help Morgan to a 3-0 start. The Baltimore, Md. native, shot a combined 18-of-36 (.500) from the floor and was 9-for-18 (.500) from three-point range. Henson opened the season with 16 points, while knocking down 3-for-4 three-pointers, four steals and two assists against Shepherd, then scored a game-high 22 points with four made three-pointers, four assists, four rebounds and three steals in a comeback win against Loyola Maryland. The 5-foot-3 guard ended the week with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal against local foe Notre Dame (Md.).
 
BUTLER HAS BIG DAY: Freshman center Jael Butler had a career day in just the third game of her career as a Lady Bear. The 6-foot-2 native of Gilroy, Calif., scored a season-best 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added five rebounds, a steal and an assist in the win over Notre Dame of Maryland (11/14). 
 
BUMBRAY FROM THREE: Senior guard Maiya Bumbray came off the bench in the win over Notre Dame of Maryland and scored a career-high 12 points on a career-high four three-pointers made in 13 minutes of action against the Gators. 
  
MORGAN IN SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Bears improved to 13-33 all-time in season openers dating back to 1977, following their 78-39 victory over Shepherd in the season opener on Monday, Nov. 7. Morgan State at one point had lost 23 straight season openers prior to winning three straight from 2006-08.
  
MORGAN-LOYOLA MARYLAND RENEW SERIES: The Morgan State and Loyola women's basketball programs renewed their series last year on Dec. 8, 2021 after a 35-year hiatus. The Lady Bears would win on the road, 64-55. It was the first meeting between the two schools separated by 2.7 miles, since the 1985-86 season. The Lady Bears also claimed this season's contest, defeating the Greyhounds at home, 59-50 (11/10). Morgan State now leads the all-time series, 14-2.
 
2022-23 CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Morgan State graduate player Taylor Addison (Columbia, Md.) and senior Ja'Niah Henson (Baltimore, Md.) have been named this year's team captains for the 2022-23 campaign.
 
WELCOME HOME: A familiar face joined the Morgan State sideline this season with the addition of Tykyrah Williams as an assistant coach. Williams, who is no stranger to Morgan State, was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for the Lady Bears from 2014-18. Williams finished her career scoring 1,068 points and pulled down 589 rebounds to become the seventh player at Morgan State to record more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. She ranks 13^th all-time in scoring, 10^th in rebounding and 12^th in steals on the Morgan State career charts.
   
MORGAN PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN MEAC: Morgan State was picked to finish fourth in the 2022-23 MEAC Preseason Poll. Last season the Lady Bears were picked to finish second for the second consecutive year and ended up finishing tied for first for the MEAC regular season crown with Howard and Norfolk State. It marked the program's first-ever MEAC regular season title.
 
2023 MEAC TOURNAMENT: The 2023 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 8-11, 2023 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.