Game 12 (Non-Conference Contest)
Morgan State (4-7) at UCF (8-1)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023
Site: Orlando, Fla. (Addition Financial Arena)
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Series Record: First Meeting
T/V: Big 12 Now/ESPN+
Audio: N/A
Live Stream: Here
Live Stats: Here
Websites: MorganStateBears.com | ucfknights.com
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 17, 2023)--Morgan State wraps up its two-game road trip to the Sunshine State this afternoon with a non-conference contest against the University of Central Florida (UCF) for Ugly Sweater Day. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. at Addition Financial Arena. It's the Lady Bears' first road swing through the State of Florida since Jan. 11-13, 2020, when Morgan State visited then Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) members Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman for conference games.
 
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 (4-7) comes into Tuesday losers of four of its last five games, following a 56-48 loss at Stetson on Sunday. Joelle Johnson scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and hauled in a team-high nine rebounds in the loss. Johnson would also account for all of Morgan's steals, finishing with a game-high three. Kaia Ponder came off the bench to add 11 points. Meeting for the first time in program history, the host Hatters built a 20-point cushion (47-27) with 4:34 left in the third quarter and held a 50-34 advantage heading into the final period. Morgan State, which outscored Stetson 14-6 in the fourth, used a 12-0 run to start the quarter and pulled with 50-46, following a three-pointer by Ponder with 5:13 to play. However, the Lady Bears would get no closer than four points, as a jumper by Gabrielle Johnson, which cut the deficit to 52-48 with 4:31 remaining, would be the final points of the game for Morgan.
 
A LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS: UCF (8-1), which is off to its best start in program history, suffered its first loss of the season yesterday, falling at home to Florida Atlantic, 59-58 on Monday. With the game tied at 58 all with 0.4 seconds left in the game, the visiting Owls' Jada Moore would split a pair of free throws, connecting on the second attempt to help FAU end the Knights unbeaten season. Kaitlin Peterson led three Knights players in double figures scoring with a game-high 18 points and added seven rebounds and a game-high six steals. Mya Burns finished with 11 points and Jayla Kelly added 10 points and tied a team high with nine rebounds. The Knights shot 33.8% (23-of-68) from the floor and was 2-for-15 (13.3%) from three-point range. UCF, which is playing its first season in the Big 12 Conference, begins league play on Saturday, Dec. 30 at Oklahoma.
 
MSU VS. UCF SERIES NOTES: This will be the first meeting between the two programs.

NEXT UP: Morgan State will continue non-conference play when it travels to Corvallis, Oregon to face Oregon State on Thursday, Dec. 28.
 
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. Towson's women went 2-0, while Morgan State was 1-1. UMBC finished 0-2.

WINLESS NO MORE: Morgan State closed out the Puerto Rico Clasico with a 53-51 victory over UNC Asheville (11/24). The win was the Lady Bears' first victory in the tournament in 11 tries.
 
MORGAN IN THE PUERTO RICO CLASICO: Over the Thanksgiving holiday break the Lady Bears made their sixth appearance in the Puerto Rico Clasico event and fifth trip to Puerto Rico. Morgan State dropped the opener to Campbell (60-46) on Thursday, Nov. 23 in San Juan, and defeated UNC Asheville (53-51) in the finale on Friday, Nov. 24. The Lady Bears, who improved to 1-10 all-time in the tournament, first competed in the even 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.
 
DAVIS PICKS UP WIN NO. 100: Morgan State head coach Edward Davis recorded his 100th career coaching victory at Morgan, following the Lady Bears' 59-57 victory over Washington Adventist (11/6) in the season opener. 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 with 103.
 
PROTECTING THE 'HOUSE': Last season Morgan State went 11-2 at Hill Field House to set the school record for most home wins in a season, passing the previous mark of 10 wins set by both the 2017-18 and 2019-20 teams. Morgan State has now won 38 of its last 43 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.
 
MORGAN PICKED THIRD IN MEAC: The Morgan State Lady Bears were picked to finish third in the MEAC Preseason poll. The Lady Bears, who finished second a season ago, received one first-place vote and 86 points. Defending MEAC regular season and tournament champion Norfolk State was picked as the preseason favorite. The Spartans earned 12 of 16 first-place votes and 115 points. Howard was second with two first-place votes and 114 points.
 
JOHNSON NAMED TO MEAC PRESEASON 2ND TEAM: Sophomore guard Gabrielle Johnson was named to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team. A MEAC All-Rookie Team selection last season, Johnson played in all 29 games, making six starts. She averaged 5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 19.6 minutes per game. Johnson reached double figures in scoring six times, including a career-high 21 points twice at North Carolina Central and at Maryland Eastern Shore. The Baltimore native finished third on the team in assists (56) and was fifth in steals (33). Johnson ranked 12^th among MEAC leaders in assists and 20^th in steals.
 
MORGAN IN SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Bears are 14-33 all-time in season openers, openers dating back to 1977, following their 59-57 victory this season over Washington Adventist (11/6). The win was the second straight season-opening win for the Lady Bears. Morgan State at one point had lost 23 straight season openers prior to winning three straight from 2006-08.
 
WELCOME HOME: A familiar face joined the Morgan State sideline this season with the addition of Janelle Silver-Martin as an assistant coach. Silver-Martin, who is no stranger to Morgan State, was a two-year letterwinner for the Lady Bears playing in 41 games from 2014-16. Silver-Martin graduated from Morgan with a degree in public relations in 2016.
 
TOURNAMENT EXPOSURE: Morgan State will face five opponents this season that reached postseason play a year ago. South Carolina, Stanford, Sacred Heart and MEAC foe Norfolk State all reached the Women's NCAA Tournament, while Towson, like Morgan State, played in the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).
 
WELCOME TO THE CAVE: Morgan State welcomes the addition of nine newcomers to the 2023-24 program this season. Two graduate transfers in Joelle Johnson and Anyssia Gibbs; two senior transfers, Brooklyn Jones and Anjanae Mueck, two junior transfers in Laila Fair and Nakilah Johnson and three freshmen, Dakota Alston, Tamaria Rumph and Amari Smith.
 
SAYING GOODBYE: The Lady Bears will say goodbye to a total of five players including two graduate players at the conclusion of the home schedule. Graduate players Anyssia Gibbs and Joelle Johnson along with two-year member Sedayjha Payne and senior transfers Brooklyn Jones and Anjanae Mueck will all be honored. Morgan State will honor its seniors on 'Senior Night' when the Lady Bears host rival Coppin State on Thursday, March 7 in the home and season finale at Hill Field House.
   
2024 MEAC TOURNAMENT: The 2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 13-16, 2024 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