BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 23, 2023)--The Morgan State Lady Bears welcomed league-leader Norfolk State to Hill Field House on Monday for an early afternoon Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contest at Hill Field House.
 
The visiting Spartans, who were riding a seven-game winning streak, entered the contest unbeaten in its previous four MEAC games, while Morgan State was unbeaten in its three league games.
 
Ja'Niah Henson scored a game-high 20 points and Charlene Shepherd recorded a game-high 17 rebounds to go with 17 points, as Morgan State handed Norfolk State (16-4, 4-1 MEAC) its first MEAC loss of the season, following a 57-46 victory.
 
The matchup would be the first meeting between the two teams since last season's MEAC semifinal contest, won by Norfolk State on a put back as time expired. This time a chance for late game heroics would not be necessary.
 
With the victory, Morgan State (11-6, 4-0 MEAC) won its 14^th consecutive home game and improved to 34-3 in its last 37 home contests. The win also helped the Lady Bears complete a round one sweep in back-to-back games of both Howard and Norfolk State – the two programs that they shared the 2021-22 regular season crown with.
 
Morgan State took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Spartans 24-11 in the period. The Lady Bears began the third quarter scoring seven consecutive points to trigger a 15-3 run and extend their lead to 38-25 after Gabrielle Johnson scored on a layup and knocked down a free throw to complete the three-point play at the 5:18 mark.
 
The Lady Bears built their largest lead of the contest (52-33), following a three-pointer by Maiya Bumbray with 8:37 remaining in the game, giving the hosts a 19-point cushion. Norfolk State responded with nine straight points to cut the deficit to 10 points at 52-42 with 4:10 left. The Spartans would get within nine points twice with the last coming at 55-46 with 37 seconds remaining.
 
Morgan State shot 36% (20-for-55) for the game and was 6-for-21 (29%) from beyond the arc. The Lady Bears knocked down 11-of-17 (65%) from the free throw line.
 
Norfolk State shot 18-for-49 (37%) and was just 1-for-11 (9.1%) from three-point range. The Spartans would finish the game connecting on 9-of-12 (75%) from the line.
 
Norfolk State began the game scoring the first four points and held a 6-3 advantage on a layup by Kierra Wheeler with 6:49 left in the opening period. Those would be the last points for the Spartans in the quarter. Morgan State would close out the quarter on an 11-0 run, capped off by a steal and layup from Emily Jones to give the Lady Bears a 14-6 advantage.
 
Morgan State led 18-8 in the second quarter when the Spartans went on a 7-0 spurt to pull within 18-15. A trey by Bumbray put the hosts ahead 21-15 with 3:20 remaining in the second period, but Norfolk State closed out the quarter on a 7-2 run to cut the Morgan lead to 23-22 at the half.
 
Deja Francis led the Spartans with 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting and had a game-high five assists. Danaijah Williams came off the bench to add 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting. Makoye Diaware pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Niya Fields led all players with five steals.
 
The Lady Bears will travel to Dover, Del. on Saturday, Jan. 28 to take on the Hornets of Delaware State. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Memorial Hall. The Hornets (4-12, 2-3 MEAC) defeated South Carolina State on Monday, 58-49 in Orangeburg, S.C.
 
 
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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.