BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 7, 2023)-Charlene Shepherd scored a game-high 26 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added a game-high nine rebounds to lead Morgan State past North Carolina Central, 81-71 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House.
 
The Lady Bears (8-6, 1-0 MEAC) ended a season-long four-game losing skid with victory and earned their sixth consecutive win over the Eagles. NCCU fell to 6-10, 0-1 MEAC. Morgan State head coach Edward Davis picked up his 90^th career coaching victory at Morgan State.
 
Ja'Niah Henson totaled 12 points, a game-high six assists and five rebounds, while Taylor Addison added 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and pulled down eight boards, as Morgan State improved to 7-0 at home this season. The Lady Bears have now won 13 straight and 33 of its last 36 home games dating back to the 2018-19 campaign.
 
NCCU was led by Jerni Kiaku, who came off the bench to score 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Taylor Williams also came off the bench and had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Morgan Callahan (3-for-4) finished with 11 points and pulled down six rebounds. Blessing Okoh grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. 
 
The Lady Bears will be off until next Saturday, Jan. 14, when they travel across town to face rival Coppin State at 2 p.m. at the Physical Education Complex. Morgan State was scheduled to host South Carolina State on Monday, Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House, but that game has been postponed due to Covid-19 protocols within the Lady Bulldog program. No makeup date has been announced at this time.
 
Check back for more play-by-play from Saturday's game.
 
 
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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.