BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico (Dec. 18, 2024)--Morgan State returned to the floor for the first time following an 11-day hiatus and recorded a 54-41 victory over Presbyterian on Wednesday morning in the opener of the Puerto Rico Clasico at Ruben Rodiguez Coliseum. It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
The win was the second straight for Morgan State this season and the second consecutive win in Puerto Rico, dating back to last season's victory over UNC Asheville (53-51).
 
Morgan State improved to 6-7 on the season, while the Blue Hose fell to 1-10.
 
Freshman Nia Green came off the bench to lead the way with a game-high 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while adding five rebounds and a game-high five steals. Junior Gabrielle Johnson tallied 12 points, two assists, a rebound and a steal in the victory.
 
The Lady Bears, who led wire-to-wire, totaled 30 points in the paint and forced Presbyterian into 33 turnovers, which Morgan State turned into 17 points. The 33 turnovers are an opponent high this season, passing the 31 turnovers committed by Washington Adventist (Nov. 20).
 
Morgan State led 17-7 after one quarter of play and held a 30-21 advantage at the intermission. The Lady Bears would extend their lead to as much as 13 points (34-21), following a put back by Green with 9:22 to play in the third quarter.
 
The Blue Hose were led by Kishyah Anderson (4-of-4 shooting) and Morgan Boyd, who each had eight points and grabbed five rebounds. Paige Kindseth pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go with seven points.
 
Morgan State will close out the Puerto Rico Clasico on Thursday, Dec. 19 against Cleveland State at 1 p.m. EST/2 p.m. AST. It will be the first meeting between the Lady Bears and the Vikings.
 
 
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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.