Game 16 (MEAC Contest)
Morgan State (5-10, 0-0 MEAC) at Maryland Eastern Shore (7-7, 0-0 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024
Site: Princess Anne, Md. (Hill Field House)
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Series Record: UMES leads, 46-42
T/V: N/A
Audio: HSRN.com
Live Stream: Here
Live Stats: Here
Websites: MorganStateBears.com | easternshorehawks.com
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 4, 2024)--The Morgan State Lady Bears begin the 2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) slate this Saturday, Jan. 6 when they travel to Princess Anne, Md. to take on the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. at Hytche Athletic Center. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Hawks' defeated Morgan, 49-46 in last season's MEAC quarterfinal round.
 
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 (5-10) closed out its non-conference schedule with a 68-65 come-from-behind victory over visiting Central Connecticut State on Wednesday. The win ended a four-game losing skid. Tamaria Rumph scored the game winning layup with 6.8 seconds remaining, then added two free throws with 6.0 left for the game's final score. Sedayjha Payne led the Lady Bears with 16 points and 10 rebounds to record a double-double. Payne also tallied a game-high three steals. Joelle Johnson recorded 13 points, six rebounds and had a game-high two blocks, while Laila Fair finished with 12 points, six rebounds, a block, an assist and a steal in the win.
 
BIRD SEEDS: Maryland Eastern Shore (7-7) is coming off a 99-37 home victory over Lancaster Bible College on Wednesday. UMES had five players score in double figures, including Ariana Seawell, who came off the bench and recorded a double-double with a game-high 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Ashanti Lynch finished with 14 points, four assists and three rebounds, while Lainey Allen added 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds, had three steals and two blocks. Zamara Haynes also came off the bench and totaled 12 points, dished out four assists and had three rebounds. Mahogany Lester tallied 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a game-high seven steals.
 
MSU VS. UMES SERIES NOTES: Maryland Eastern Shore has won two straight and leads the all-time series, 46-42. Morgan State has won 10 of the last 15 meetings. Last season Morgan and UMES split the season series, each winning on its home floor. The Hawks, who were the #7 seed entering the 2023 MEAC Tournament, then eliminated #2 Morgan, 49-46 in the quarterfinal round in Norfolk, Va.
 
NEXT UP: Morgan State will return home to host Delaware State on Monday, Jan. 8 for its MEAC home opener. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House.
 
FAIR, MUECK MAKE MORGAN DEBUT: Laila Fair and Anjanae Mueck made their Morgan State debut at Oregon State (12/28). Fair finished with a game-high four blocks to go with six points, five rebounds and two steals against the Beavers. Mueck finished with four points, two rebounds and a steal.

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 104.
 
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