BALTIMORE, Md. (Nov. 29, 2023)-Morgan State made the short trip to Towson, Md. to face local foe Towson in the inaugural Charm City Hoops Classic at SECU Arena. The host Tigers, who led the entire game, would hold off a late push by Morgan State to earn an 80-69 victory.
 
Towson improved to 4-1 on the year, while Morgan State fell to 3-4. With the win, the Tigers closed out their Charm City Hoops Classic (yearly matchup between local foes Morgan State, Towson and UMBC) schedule with a perfect 2-0 record. Morgan State will face UMBC in the finale on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. in Hill Field House.
 
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas led Towson with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting and added nine rebounds and a game-high seven assists. Aminata Diakite came off the bench to score 17 points and Alexia Nelson finished with 13 points and a team-high four steals. Quinzia Fulmore recorded a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Motivated by last year's 28-point loss (76-48) to Morgan State on this very floor, the Tigers were looking for revenge. Both teams started out slow, but Towson got going at the free throw line, as six of its first eight points came from the line. The Tigers would increase their lead to 11-0 when Patricia Anumgba (eight points) knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner with 4:22 remaining in the first period. Two possessions later Morgan State finally got on the board on a basket in the lane by Gabrielle Johnson to cut the deficit to 11-2. The Tigers would lead 20-8 after one quarter of play.
 
The guests picked up the scoring in the second period behind the long-range shooting by Dakota Alston, who went on her own personal 9-2 run, knocking down three straight three-pointers to pull the Lady Bears within 28-19 with 5:35 remaining in the half. However, the host Tigers responded with 17-6 run to end the quarter and take a 45-25 lead at the intermission.
 
Towson began the second half using a 15-6 run, capped off by a basket and free throw by Kornegay-Lucas at the 5:03 mark to give Towson its largest lead of the game at 29 points (60-31).
 
Trailing 63-40 heading into the fourth quarter, the Lady Bears went on a 10-0 run to pull within, 65-50. The host Tigers would score the next six points before Morgan State went on one final run, outscoring Towson 13-5, capped off by a three-pointer from Amari Smith to cut the deficit to 76-63 with 2:06 to play.
 
Morgan State was led by Tamaria Rumph, who scored 15 points, while Gabrielle Johnson added 13. Alston came off the bench to score 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while Smith shot 3-for-3 from three-point range for nine points. Sedayjha Payne, who had a game-high five steals, tied Kaia Ponder for team high honors with seven rebounds.

Morgan State will travel to Loretto, Pa. on Saturday, Dec. 2 to take on Saint Francis-Pa. at 2:30 p.m.
 

CHARM CITY HOOPS CLASSIC: Local foes Morgan State, Towson and UMBC have agreed to play each other every year in both men's and women's basketball in what is being billed as the Charm City Hoops Classic. The three schools previously participated in the Battle of Baltimore series for six seasons from the 1997-98 season through the 2002-03 campaign.
 
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
 Facebook: /MorganStateBears
 Twitter: @MorganStBears
 Instagram: /MorganStateBears

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.