PRINCSS ANNE, Md. (Feb. 27, 2023)—Morgan State graduate player Charlene Shepherd and freshman Gabrielle Johnson each scored a game-high 21 points, but it wasn't enough, as the Lady Bears dropped a 73-70 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) decision at Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday evening at the Hytche Athletic Center.
 
The Hawks, winners of four of their last five games, improved to 9-18 overall and 5-8 in the MEAC.
 
The loss was the fourth straight for Morgan State (16-10, 9-4 MEAC), and coupled with Norfolk State's win over North Carolina Central, allowed the NSU Spartans (23-5, 11-2 MEAC) to wrap up the MEAC regular season crown on Monday.
 
Morgan State fell into a two-way tie for second in the league standings with Howard (13-13, 9-4 MEAC), which defeated South Carolina State on Monday.
 
Just two weeks ago the Lady Bears were sitting atop the MEAC standings with a perfect 9-0 league record. Morgan State was possibly two or three more wins away from capturing the program's second consecutive regular season title and its first-ever outright.
 
14 days and four straight losses later, Morgan State finds itself needing to win its regular season finale against crosstown rival Coppin State (March 2), in order to secure the No. 2 seed in next week's MEAC Tournament.
 
Johnson, shot 6-for-8, including 1-for2 from three-point range and connected on 8-for-9 from the free throw line to tie a career-high 21 points. Johnson also recorded a team-high five assists. Ja'Niah Henson finished with 14 points and Taylor Addison pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go with nine points for the Lady Bears.
 
Morgan State trailed 32-31 at the half and 46-45 heading into the third quarter. The Hawks held a 67-61 lead, following a layup by Ariana Seawell with 1:49 left in the game. Morgan State countered with a 7-1 run, capped off by back-to-back layups by Henson to bring the guests within a point at 68-67 with 42.4 seconds remaining.
 
The Hawks closed out the game scoring five of the final eight points to hang on to the three-point victory.
 
UMES was led by Z Haynes, who finished with a game-high 21 points. M Thomas finished with 16 points and L Allen recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
The Hawks shot 50% (25-for-50) for the game and shot 80.8% (21-for-26) from the charity stripe. Morgan State was connected on 25-for-66 (38%) and was just 58% (14-for-24) from the free throw line.
 
Morgan State closes out the regular season on Thursday, March 2 against rival Coppin State. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. The Lady Bears will honor its five players (graduate player Taylor Addison and seniors Maiya Bumbray, Vanessa Oduah, Sunshine McCrae and Ja'Niah Henson) prior to the game against the Eagles.
 
Coppin State (8-20, 5-8 MEAC) was a 34-32 winner at Delaware State on Monday.
 
 
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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.