DURHAM, N.C. (Feb. 11, 2023)—The Morgan State women's basketball team appeared to be on the verge of seeing its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) loss of the season come its way on Saturday afternoon inside North Carolina Central's McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
But in typical Lady Bears fashion, Morgan State turned up the defensive pressure and held the host Eagles to under 10 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 12-point deficit and defeat NCCU, 68-63 to remain unbeaten in MEAC play.
 
With the win, the Lady Bears extended their season-long winning streak to eight straight, as they improved to 15-6 overall and 8-0 in the MEAC. Morgan State, which swept the season series with the victory, improved to 17-5 all-time against the Eagles and have now won seven straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings.
 
Freshman Gabrielle Johnson came off the bench to lead Morgan State with a game-high 21 points, including 3-for-6 shooting from three-point range and added five rebounds and two steals. Charlene Shepherd and Ja'Niah Henson each added 15 and 13 points, respectively, while Taylor Addison pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
The Lady Bears got off to a slow start and eventually found themselves trailing upset minded NCCU, by as much as 12 points on four different occasions in the third quarter, with the last coming at the 1:51 mark (55-43).
 
Two free throws by Shepherd triggered a 9-0 run by Morgan State, as it closed out the period scoring the final seven points and trailed the Eagles 55-48. Johnson began the fourth quarter with a layup to bring the guests closer at 55-50 with 8:07 remaining in the game.
 
NCCU (10-13, 4-4 MEAC) extended its lead to nine points on a jumper in the paint by Tippy Robertson to make it a 59-50 game with 6:51 to play.
 
That's when Morgan State clamped down on the defensive end and put together one of its patented fourth quarter exhibits. Johnson got things going with a three-pointer and Morgan State would close out the game on an 18-4 run to secure the comeback win.
 
The Lady Bears held NCCU to just eight points in the fourth quarter, marking the eighth time this season Morgan State has held an opponent under 10 points in the fourth period.
 
Morgan State will travel to Orangeburg, S.C. to visit the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State on Monday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. South Carolina State (3-20, 2-6 MEAC) was a 61-50 winner over Coppin State on Saturday.