BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 21, 2024)--The Lady Bears fell short in their comeback bid to the visiting Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) on Wednesday evening, as they dropped a 58-46 decision at Hill Field House.
 
Morgan State dropped to 7-16 overall and 2-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), while UMES improved to 12-12, 5-4 in the MEAC. The two teams split the regular season series, each winning on the other's home floor. The Hawks now lead the all-time series, 49-45.
 
UMES was paced by Jala Bannerman, who came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points, while Lainey Allen pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds to go with five points to help the guests hold a 57-32 rebounding advantage over Morgan. Mahogany Lester finished with 12 points and had a game-best four steals.
 
Morgan State, which was coming off a season-long 16-day layoff, following the league's 12-day break, coupled by the team's Covid-19 outbreak, came out slow in the opening quarter and half. The guests built a 24-8 advantage after one quarter and despite also being limited to single digits in the second quarter, the Hawks carried a 32-14 halftime lead.
 
The Lady Bears got going both offensively and defensively in the third quarter, as they outscored UMES, 19-8. Trailing by 15 points (38-23) with 4:34 left in the quarter, Sedayjha Payne scored on a layup nine seconds later to trigger a 10-2 Morgan State run to close out the period. Payne ended the run the way it began with a layup assisted by Tamaria Rumph with 17 seconds left to bring Morgan within 40-33.      
 
UMES led 46-35, following a layup by Lester with 8:03 remaining in the game. The Lady Bears used an 8-0 run over the next four minutes. Rumph hit a huge three-pointer at the 5:53 mark and Anjanae Mueck capped off the run with a layup to cut the deficit to 46-43 with 3:58 left to play.
 
Unfortunately, that would be as close as Morgan would get, as the Hawks used a 12-3 run to close out the game.
 
Morgan State was led by guards Rumph and Payne, who both came off the bench and finished the game strong. Rumph totaled a team-high 11 points, had four rebounds, a team-high four assists and three steals, while Payne added nine points, four boards, two steals and an assist. Mueck played huge for Morgan, finishing with eight points, a team-high seven rebounds and a game-high four blocked shots.
 
UMES shot 28% (19-66) from the floor and was 4-for-20 (20%) from three-point range. The Hawks did convert on 16-of-19 (84.2%) from the free throw line.
 
Morgan State shot 33% (17-of-51) and connected on 3-of-12 (25%) from beyond the three-point arc. The hosts were 9-of-21 (42.9%) at the charity stripe.
 
Neither team protected the ball, as Morgan State had 26 turnovers, which the Hawks turned into 21 points. The Lady Bears recorded 16 steals and forced 31 UMES turnovers, which they turned into 22 points.
 
The Lady Bears are back on the court on Saturday, Feb. 24, when they face Beltway rival Howard at 2 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. 
 
 
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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