Game 14 (MEAC Opener)
Morgan State (7-6, 0-0 MEAC) vs. North Carolina Central (6-9, 0-0 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 7, 2022
Site: Baltimore, Md. (Hill Field House)
Time: 2 p.m.
Series Record: Morgan leads, 15-5
Audio: HSRN.com
TV: N/A
Live Stream: Here
Live Stats: Here
Websites: MorganStateBears.com | NCCUEaglePride.com
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 4, 2023)-Morgan State women's basketball will take to the floor for the first time in 2023 this Saturday, Jan. 7, when it welcomes North Carolina Central to Hill Field House for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.
 
Morgan State enters the New Year on a season-long four-game losing skid, following a road loss to Davidson (12/28). The Lady Bears, who began the season winning its first six games to set a school record for wins to start a season, went 1-6 in its last seven games – all on the road – to finish 7-6 in non-conference play.
 
"From starting the season as 6-0 to then losing the next couple of games in Puerto Rico, to then come back to a big win over Towson, our team felt at a good place in the season and had a lot of up going into the rest of non-conference play," said graduate captain Taylor Addison. "Losing to both Texas State and Davidson in such close games, was very difficult for us. I think as a team we really wanted to pick up a road win against a big team and to come so close but not win was hard."
 
"Being 0-4 (in last four games) right now is definitely something we as a team don't want to be at. However, with the loses we have made adjustments and will have more experience going into conference to be successful. I believe playing the upper opponents and almost winning and competing hard show we are a great team and can do really well in the MEAC."
 
After playing its last seven games on the road, returning home to play in front of the home fans for the first time since November 22, might be just what Morgan State needs. The Lady Bears are 6-0 this season at Hill Field House and have won their last 12 home contests. Morgan State is 32-3 in its last 35 home games since the 2018-19 campaign.
 
"We as a team love being at home. We want to keep up the 'Morgan Way' of winning our home games and definitely are looking forward to both our first conference win, but also a good win to give to our fans and family at Morgan, since we haven't played a home game in over a month and a half," said Addison. "I think everyone has an extra edge at home and we just want to take advantage of that going into conference play."
 
A year ago the Lady Bears captured their first-ever MEAC regular season crown, finishing as co-champions with Norfolk State and reigning MEAC Tournament champion Howard. Addison and the Morgan State would like nothing more than to begin MEAC play with a win in its quest to win a tournament championship.
 
"I am excited to finally get into conference play with the MEAC teams," said Addison. "Last year since we tied as regular season champions, I want to win it this year. I'm looking to play harder and fight every game to win a regular season championship again for Morgan state and have a good position going into the MEAC Tournament."
 
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 (7-6), which is on a season-long four-game losing skid, hosts the Eagles of North Carolina Central in the MEAC opener for both teams. Picked to finish fourth in the MEAC Preseason Poll, the 2021-22 reigning MEAC regular season co-champion Lady Bears are coming off a tough 65-62 road loss at Davidson (12/28), to close out 2022 and non-conference play. It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Charlene Shepherd and Gabrielle Johnson each scored a team-high 15 points to lead four Morgan players in double figures scoring. Ja'Niah Henson finished with 12 points and Sunshine McCrae added 11. Taylor Addison, Shepherd and McCrae each pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.
  
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: NCCU (6-9), picked to finish sixth in the MEAC Preseason Poll, ended a two-game losing streak with a record-setting 108-39 victory over Virginia Lynchburg on Wednesday to end non-conference play. The 108 points set a new NCAA Division I era record, surpassing last season's total of 101 points against Johnson & Wales. The 69-point victory also surpassed a pair of 67-point wins against both Johnson & Wales and St. Andrews a season ago. The host Eagles outscored the Dragons, 33-2 in the fourth quarter. All nine NCCU players scored at least six points and seven would score in double figures. Aniya Finger came off the bench and recorded a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Blessing Okoh tallied a double-double in a reserve role with 12 rebounds and 10 points, while Nia Ford also came off the bench to score 15 points. Morgan Callahan grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and added 14 points to lead three Eagle starters in double figures scoring. Fellow starters Kimeira Burks had 13 points and eight boards, while Sydney Avoletta added 12 points and six rebounds. Jerni Kiaku rounded out the bench scoring with 10 points.

MSU VS. NCCU SERIES NOTES: Morgan State leads the all-time series, 15-5. The Lady Bears have won five straight and eight of the last nine meetings against the Eagles. Last season Morgan State and NCCU ended up meeting twice in February in the span of a week due to Covid related issues, which forced the cancelation of the season opener in January in Durham, N.C.
 
NEXT UP: Morgan State will welcome South Carolina State to Hill Field House for a MEAC contest on Monday, Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m.
 
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.
 
PROTECTING THE 'HOUSE': With its win over Saint Francis-Pa. (11/22), Morgan State improved to 6-0 on the season, extended its home winning streak to 12 straight and has now won 32 of its last 35 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 4.8 rebounds per game. McCrae has reached double figures six times this season, including the last four 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: Through the 13 non-conference games, Morgan State forced 266 opponent turnovers, while recording 145 steals. The Lady Bears forced a season-high 29 turnovers twice against Washington Adventist (11/16) and Saint Peter's (11/18), while recording a season-high 19 steals against Washington Adventist. Ja'Niah Henson leads the Lady Bears with 33 steals, while Charlene Shepherd has 29. Emily Jones has 18 steals and Taylor Addison has 16 steals.
 
FOURTH QUARTER LOCKDOWN: Morgan State has held six of its first 13 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, 211-151 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 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.