Women's Basketball 2/18/2025 12:00:00 PM Kevin C. Paige, MSU Athletics Communications

Women’s Basketball Returns Home To Host Beltway Rival Howard

Women's Basketball 2/18/2025 12:00:00 PM Kevin C. Paige, MSU Athletics Communications

Women’s Basketball Returns Home To Host Beltway Rival Howard

Game 25 (MEAC Contest)
Morgan State (11-13, 4-5 MEAC) vs. Howard (15-9, 8-1 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025
Site: Baltimore, Md. (Hill Field House)
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Series Record: Howard leads, 60-25
TV: ESPN+
Audio: HSRN
Live Stats: Here
Websites: MorganStateBears.com | hubison.com

BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 18, 2025)--Morgan State returns home for one game, when it welcomes Beltway rival Howard to Hill Field House for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Saturday, Feb. 22. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+ and will also be Greek Day.

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 (11-13, 4-5 MEAC) had its two-game winning streak come to an end, following a 71-53 league loss at North Carolina Central on Monday evening in Durham. Nia Green scored a team- and season-high 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds to lead Morgan State. Naya Ojukwu scored 13 points, grabbed four rebounds and recorded a team-high three blocks in the loss.

BISON HOOVES: Howard (15-9, 8-1 MEAC) enters Saturday's contest riding a five-game winning streak after defeating visiting Maryland Eastern Shore, 72-59 on Monday at Burr Gymnasium. The Bison, who sit in second place in the league standings, were led by Saniyah King, who tallied a game-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. King added five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Zennia Thomas came off the bench to score 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting and was 8-for-11 at the free throw line. Kaiya Creek came off the bench to add 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.

MSU VS. HU SERIES NOTES: Howard holds a 60-25 series lead over Morgan State. The Bison have won the last five meetings, including a 75-56 victory earlier this season in Washington, D.C. (1/11). Morgan's last win over the Bison was a 71-49 thumping in Washington, D.C. (Jan. 21, 2023).

NEXT UP: Morgan State will get back on the road when it travels to Norfolk, Va. to face league leader and defending champion Norfolk State. The Spartans (22-4, 6-0 MEAC), who are ranked No. 8 in the recent College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll, are riding an 11-game winning streak. Norfolk State, which is 12-0 at home this season, defeated Delaware State 92-44 in its last outing at home (2/17).

GREEN HAS SEASON BEST OUTING: Freshman Nia Green set a new season best with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while pulling down nine rebounds at North Carolina Central (2/17). Green's totals surpassed her previous season bests of 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and five rebounds, along with a season-high five steals in the Lady Bears' win over Presbyterian in the Puerto Rico Clasico opener (12/18). The 14 points marked her first double-digit outing, and the five steals was her first multiple steals game this season.

TRACKING COACH DAVIS: Morgan State head coach Edward Davis picked up his 118th career coaching victory at Morgan, following the Lady Bears' 60-55 victory at South Carolina State (2/15). 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.

LADY BEARS PASS 2023-24 WIN TOTAL: With 24 games in the books and five regular season games remaining for the 2024-25 Morgan State women's basketball team, the Lady Bears (11-13, 4-5 MEAC) have already passed their win total of eight wins (8-22, 3-11 MEAC) from a season ago.

MAKE IT A DOUBLE: Naya Ojukwu leads Morgan with five double-doubles, including three in the last four games. In her second outing in a Morgan State uniform against North Carolina Central (1/7), she recorded 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both season highs…Jael Butler has collected two double-doubles, including a 13 rebounds, 12 points performance at Central Connecticut State (12/7)…Laila Fair has one double-double, totaling a career-high 20 rebounds and 16 points at Old Dominion (11/11).

DAVIS RETURNS TO THE HORNETS NEST: Morgan State head coach Ed Davis, Jr., made his ninth trip back to Memorial Hall as an opposing head coach on Monday, Feb. 3, when the Lady Bears traveled to Dover, Del. to take on Delaware State. The Lady Bears ended a three-game losing skid to the Hornets with a 64-49 victory and hold a 15-8 lead against DSU, since Davis joined the Morgan State staff as an assistant coach in 2012-13. Morgan State has now won nine of the last 13 meetings in Dover. Davis, who once patrolled the sideline for 12 seasons as the head coach of Delaware State, is the winningest coach in Hornets' program history with 178 victories. While at Delaware State, Davis guided the Hornets to the MEAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2007.

OJUKWU RECORDS DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Naya Ojukwu scored a game-high 24 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds to help Morgan State to an 84-78 victory over North Carolina Central (1/7). Ojukwu, who was playing in her second game and making her first start as a Lady Bear, shot 9-of-16 from the floor, scored 10 of the Lady Bears' first 14 points and scored 19 of her 24 points in the first half.

BOGANS HAS CAREER DAY: Freshman Michaela Bogans came off the bench in the North Carolina Central win (1/7) and had a career game thus far. The 5-foot-6 guard scored a season-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting for a season-best .692 shooting percentage. Bogans also had a season- and team-high four steals and a team-high five assists.

MORGAN IN MEAC OPENERS: Morgan State won its third straight MEAC opener, following Saturday's, 55-54 victory over South Carolina State (1/4). The Lady Bears improved to 5-6 in their last 11 MEAC openers since the 2014-15 season.

OJUKWU MAKES MORGAN DEBUT: Redshirt sophomore transfer Naya Ojukwu made her Morgan State debut in the MEAC season opener against visiting South Carolina State (1/4). The Meridian, Idaho native, who checked into the game with 46.8 seconds remaining in the first quarter, came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, grabbed three rebounds and had a block in 14 minutes of action. Ojukwu, who also shot 5-of-6 from the free throw line, calmly knocked down two free throws with 20 seconds left in the game to lift Morgan State past South Carolina State, 55-54.

NON-CONFERENCE FEAST AT HOME: Morgan State concluded its non-conference schedule with a 72-68 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Monday, Dec. 30. The win helped the Lady Bears finish with a 5-0 record at home against non-conference opponents. Since Coach Davis took over at the helm of the women's program, Morgan State has feasted on non-conference opposition at home. With the win over Mount St. Mary's, the Lady Bears improved to 32-7 at Hill Field House against non-conference opponents since the 2016-17 season. It marked the sixth time Morgan State went undefeated at home against non-conference foes, including 6-0 marks during the 2017-18 and 2022-23 campaigns.
Home Record against non-conference opponents
2016-17 (1-2)
2017-18 (6-0)
2018-19 (2-3)
2019-20 (3-0)
2020-21 (3-0) abbreviated schedule from Covid
2021-22 (3-0)
2022-23 (6-0)
2023-24 (3-2)
2024-25 (5-0)

MORGAN PICKS UP SECOND WIN IN PUERTO RICO: Morgan State began the 2024 Puerto Rico Clasico with a 54-41 victory over Presbyterian (12/18). The win was the Lady Bears second all-time in Puerto Rico, as well as its second consecutive victory in the tournament dating back to last season's 53-51 win over UNC Asheville (11/24/23) in the finale.

FAIR PULLS DOWN CAEER-HIGH 20 REBOUNDS: Senior forward Laila Fair grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in the loss at Old Dominion (11/11). Fair, who also added 16 points to record a double-double, tallied 15 of her 20 rebounds on the defensive end. Her 20 boards shattered her previous career high of 14 rebounds she recorded twice last season in back-to-back games at Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware State.

CHARM CITY HOOPS CLASSIC: Morgan State finished 1-1 for the second consecutive season in the Charm City Hoops Classic. The Lady Bears defeated Towson, 64-63 at home (11/14), before falling on the road to UMBC, 81-72 (11/17). In 2023, local foes Morgan State, Towson and UMBC 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. Last season the Lady Bears also split their contests in the inaugural classic, falling on the road to Towson (80-69), before defeating UMBC (65-42) at home. The three schools previously participated in the Battle of Baltimore series for six seasons from the 1997-98 season through the 2002-03 campaign.

MORGAN PICKED FIFTH IN MEAC: The Morgan State Lady Bears were picked to finish fifth in the 2024-25 MEAC Preseason poll. The Lady Bears, who finished seventh a season ago, received 63 points. Defending MEAC regular season and tournament champion Norfolk State and Howard were picked as co-preseason favorites with 117 points each. The Spartans earned 11 of 16 first-place votes, while Howard received the remaining five first-place votes.

FAIR NAMED TO MEAC PRESEASON 3RD TEAM: Senior forward Laila Fair was named to the Preseason All-MEAC Third Team. Despite playing in just 15 games and making 12 starts, Fair would lead the Lady Bears in rebounding with 7.1 boards per contest and was second on the team in scoring with 8.5 points in 25.6 minutes per game. A native of Middlesex, N.J., Fair also led Morgan State with 22 blocked shots, while totaling 18 steals and 10 assists.

MORGAN IN SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Bears improved to 15-33 all-time in season openers dating back to 1977, following their 70-60 victory over Shepherd (11/4/24). Morgan State at one point had lost 23 straight season openers prior to winning three straight from 2006-08.

EDUCATION DAY: Morgan State will hold its second annual Education Day on Wednesday, Nov. 20 when the Lady Bears play host to Washington Adventist at 11 a.m. at Hill Field House.

MORGAN IN THE PUERTO RICO CLASICO: Prior to the Christmas holiday break the Lady Bears will make their seventh appearance in the Puerto Rico Clasico event and sixth trip to Puerto Rico. Morgan State will face Presbyterian on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 10:30 a.m. and will face Cleveland State on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. The Lady Bears, who are 1-10 all-time in the tournament, picked up their first win with a 53-51 victory over UNC Asheville to close out last year's tournament. Morgan first competed in the event 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. Morgan State did not attend during the 2020-21 campaign due to an abbreviated schedule because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

WELCOME TO THE CAVE: Morgan State welcomes the addition of nine newcomers to the 2024-25 program this season. Four junior transfers in Ja'la Bannerman, Kimora Daly, Zaiha Minnis and Success Prysock; two sophomore transfers, Naya Ojukwu and Maya Woodson and three freshmen, Michaela Bogans, Nia Green and Kimora Lopez.

SAYING GOODBYE: The Lady Bears will say goodbye to three players at the conclusion of the home schedule, four-year member Emily Jones along with two-year members Laila Fair and Nakilah Johnson. Morgan State will honor its seniors on 'Senior Night' when the Lady Bears host Delaware State on Monday, March 3 in the home finale at Hill Field House.

2025 MEAC TOURNAMENT: The 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 12-15, 2025 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.

FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
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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.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Jael Butler: C; 6' 2"; Junior

#12 Nakilah Johnson: G; 5' 11"; Senior

#14 Laila Fair: F; 6' 2"; Senior

#10 Emily Jones: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#11 Kimora Daly: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#5 Nia Green: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

#20 Michaela Bogans: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#4 Ja'la Bannerman: G; 5' 7"; Junior

#3 Success Prysock: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#23 Maya Woodson: F; 6' 2"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#22 Jael Butler
: 6' 2"; Junior
: C

#12 Nakilah Johnson
: 5' 11"; Senior
: G

#14 Laila Fair
: 6' 2"; Senior
: F

#10 Emily Jones
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#11 Kimora Daly
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#5 Nia Green
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G

#20 Michaela Bogans
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#4 Ja'la Bannerman
: 5' 7"; Junior
: G

#3 Success Prysock
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#23 Maya Woodson
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: F