BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 28, 2023)--Morgan State head women's basketball coach Ed Davis, Jr. and his coaching staff had a busy offseason, replacing nine players, including eight, who were either seniors or graduate players from last season's team that reached the opening round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. It was just the second time in program history that the Lady Bears reached the postseason on the Division I level.
 
Today we introduce you to 2023-24 signee Laila Fair.
 
Fair, a 6-foot-2 junior forward out of Middlesex, N.J., joins the Lady Bears after spending her sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) last season.
 
"She comes from a winning program at UMass and she has the ability to score in the post. I think she's a very polished young lady and you can tell that she was well coached at UMass," said Davis. "She has the ability to score with either hand, and can run defenses from the back line of the defense. Just a very aggressive, smart player. Something that we need. I'm looking for big things from her."

Fair averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds, while playing in 19 games for UMass during the 2022-23 season. She posted eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, had 10 rebounds and three blocks – all season highs – on the road at Arizona State (12/2). Fair scored her first points at UMass, finishing with five points on 2-of-2 shooting, grabbed two rebounds and had two blocks at Florida International (11/27).
 
Fair started her collegiate career at Saint Joseph's during the 2021-22 campaign. She was named to the 2022 Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team and earned 2022 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors. Fair appeared in 24 games, starting in 15 for the Hawks and averaged 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. She shot a team-high 51.2% from the field and led the team with 21 blocks.
 
During her freshman season, Fair had nine double-digit scoring performances, including a four-game streak to end the season with double figures. She tallied a career-high 20 points twice during the season, including a 20-point outing with nine rebounds against Duquesne (3/3). Fair grabbed a career-best 11 boards and scored 20 points at Penn (12/7) to record her first career double-double.
 
Fair led Stuart Country Day School to back-to-back NJISAA Prep B state titles as a sophomore and junior in high school. The team also reached the Mercer County Tournament final and she was named to the Roselle Catholic Holiday All-Tournament Team during her junior season. Fair was also named the most improved player on the team in 2019-20.
 
Her father Lamar played basketball at Cheyney University. 
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, 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.