BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 21, 2025)--Senior guard Ja'la Bannerman scored a game-high 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc, but it wasn't enough, as the Lady Bears fell to rival Loyola Maryland, 65-58 on Sunday afternoon at Reitz Arena.
 
Morgan State fell to 1-14 on the season, while the Greyhounds improved to 4-7 on the season, while earning just their third win in the all-time series' 17 meetings.
 
Tiyanna James came off the bench to score 13 points and Kailyn Nash added 10 points, eight rebounds and a game-high four steals for Morgan State, which was playing in the State of Maryland for the first time since Dec. 6 when it hosted UMBC.
 
Sunday's contest is one the Lady Bears will be thinking about for some time. Morgan State led for the first 36-plus minutes and twice built an 11-point advantage, only to see it all collapse by going the final 7:21 without a field goal and just two free throws.
 
Michaela Bogans drained a three-pointer to give the Lady Bears a 56-50 lead with 7:21 left in the game. That would be the last basket by Morgan State for the remainder of the contest.
 
Loyola Maryland's Koi Sims scored on a layup with 5:29 remaining to cut the Morgan advantage to 56-52 and trigger an 11-0 run by the host Greyhounds. A layup by Cristina Garcia gave Loyola Maryland its first lead of the game (57-56) with 3:23 left in the contest. Two free throws by Sydney Bass extended the lead to 61-56.
 
Maya Woodson connected on two free throws at the 1:27 mark to stop Loyola's run and bring Morgan State within three points at 61-58. They would be the Lady Bears' last points of the afternoon, as the Greyhounds' Olivia Shaughnessy added four free throws to cap off Loyola's 15-2 run to complete the comeback.
 
Sims led Loyola Maryland with 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting and had a game-high 15 rebounds to record a double-double. Amandine Amorich and Shaughnessy each had 12 points, while Garcia finished with 11 points and a game-high five assists.
 
Morgan State will close out its non-conference slate on the road against rival Towson on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. It will also be the final game of the 2025 Charm City Hoops Classic. The Lady Bears lost their opening game of the classic at home to UMBC, 66-48 on Dec. 6. The Tigers won their opening game defeating UMBC on the road, 71-64 on Nov. 23.
 
Towson (6-5) is riding a two-game winning streak after defeating Lehigh 75-67 on Dec. 20 at Towson.
 
 
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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.