Women's Basketball 2/23/2025 6:00:00 PM Kevin C. Paige, MSU Athletics Communications

Lady Bears Head To Virginia To Take On Defending Champion Norfolk State

Game 26 (MEAC Contest)
Morgan State (11-14, 4-6 MEAC) at #8 Norfolk State (23-4, 10-0 MEAC)
Date: Monday, Feb. 24, 2025
Site: Norfolk, Va. (Echols Hall)
Tip-off: 5:30 p.m.
Series Record: Norfolk State leads, 29-19
TV: ESPN+
Audio: HSRN
Live Stats: Here
Websites: MorganStateBears.com | nsuspartans.com

BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 23, 2025)--Morgan State will travel to Virginia's Tidewater to take on two-time reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Norfolk State on Monday, Feb. 24. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. at Echols Hall. The contest will stream live on ESPN+ and will be the Spartans' Senior Night.

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), losers of two straight, are coming off a tough 62-53 loss to Howard on Saturday. Naya Ojukwu scored a career- and game-high 29 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to earn her sixth double-double of the season. Ojukwu shot 8-of-16 from the floor and knocked down 13-of-19 free throws. She would also add two assists and a game-high two steals. Gabrielle Johnson finished with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Emily Jones added six points, three rebounds and a steal. The loss was the Lady Bears' fourth straight at home, as they fell to 7-4 at Hill Field House.

SPARTAN LEGION: Norfolk State (23-4, 10-0 MEAC) is coming off a 76-54 win on Saturday at Coppin State. Kierra Wheeler scored a game-high 28 points and added seven rebounds and two blocks to lead three Norfolk State players in double figures scoring. Diamond Johnson scored 13 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and recorded a game-high seven steals. Anjanae Richardson also tallied 13 points and added three boards, two assists and two steals. Niya Fields dished out six assists to go with four points. The Spartans, who are ranked No. 8 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll, are riding a 12-game winning streak, following the win over Coppin. Norfolk State is a perfect 12-0 mark at home this season.

MSU VS. NSU SERIES NOTES: Norfolk State leads the all-time series, 29-19. The Spartans have won the last four meetings, including this season's first contest, 77-69 in Baltimore (1/13).

NEXT UP: Morgan State will travel to Princess Anne, Md., on Saturday, March 1 to face Maryland Eastern Shore in a MEAC contest at 2 p.m. at Hytche Athletic Center.

OJUKWU SCORES CAREER-HIGH 29 POINTS: Redshirt freshman Naya Ojukwu scored a career-high 29 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against Howard (2/22) to record her sixth double-double of the season. The Meridian, Idaho native shot 8-of-16 from the floor and was 13-of-19 from the free throw line. She also added two assists and had two steals.

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 and is now four wins away from moving into a tie for second place with LaRue Fields (122 wins from 1978-85).

IT WON'T BE US: Morgan State wrapped up the first half or the MEAC slate with a 64-49 victory at Delaware State. With the win, the Lady Bears improved to 10-12, 3-4 in the MEAC and avoided becoming the Hornets' (3-17, 0-7 MEAC) first league win of the season. Delaware State would lose its next two MEAC contests to fall to 0-9, before defeating South Carolina State (2/22) for its first league victory. The Lady Bears and Hornets will meet again for the Lady Bears' home finale and Senior Night (3/3) in Baltimore.

LADY BEARS PASS 2023-24 WIN TOTAL: With 25 games in the books and four regular season games remaining for the 2024-25 Morgan State women's basketball team, the Lady Bears (11-14, 4-6 MEAC) 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 six double-doubles, including four in the last five games. Ojukwu is coming off scoring a career-high 29 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the loss to Howard (2/22) to earn her sixth double-double. In just 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 at the time…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.

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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

#2 Gabrielle Johnson: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#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

Players Mentioned

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

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

#2 Gabrielle Johnson
: 5' 8"; Junior
: 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