Women's Basketball 3/11/2025 8:21:00 PM Kevin C. Paige, MSU Athletics Communications

Ojukwu Named MEAC Newcomer Of The Year; Bogans, Green Named To Rookie Team

NORFOLK, Va. (March 11, 2025)--Morgan State redshirt freshman forward Naya Ojukwu was named 2024-25 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Newcomer of the Year and earned All-MEAC Second Team honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday at Chrysler Hall.

Meanwhile, fellow freshmen guards Michaela Bogans and Nia Green were named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team.

The all-conference honors, presented by Wells Fargo, were voted on by the league's head women's basketball coaches and sports information directors.

Ojukwu's selection marks the ninth consecutive season Morgan State has had at least one player earn All-MEAC honors under the guidance of head coach Ed Davis, Jr., thus keeping the streak alive of having an all-conference selection in every season since being named head coach prior to the 2017-18 campaign.

Bogans and Green also become the third and fourth Lady Bears named to the MEAC All-Rookie team the last three years. Sophomore guard Tamaria Rumph earned the honor last season and junior guard Gabrielle Johnson was named to the rookie team during the 2022-23 season.

A native of Meridian, Idaho, Ojukwu, helped the Lady Bears to a tie for fifth-place in the MEAC regular season standings. She averaged a team-leading 16.5 points and a team-best 9.1 rebounds per game, while recording 18 blocks, 17 steals and eight assists to go with 231 points and 127 rebounds. Ojukwu finished the regular season ranked 2nd in MEAC games in scoring, 4th in rebounding, 5th in FG%, 5th in blocks, 8th in FT% and 23rd in steals.

The Gonzaga transfer, lead the team in FG% (.489) and reached double figures in scoring in 13 of the 14 games she played and has seven double-doubles. She closed out the regular season recording a career-high five blocks, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds and in the win at rival Coppin State (3/6). Ojukwu pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds to go with 14 points in the home finale against Delaware State (3/3) and scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Howard (2/22). Ojukwu tallied her first double-double in her second outing as a Lady Bear, finishing with 24 points and 13 rebounds against NC Central (1/7).

Joining Ojukwu on the All-MEAC Second Team was Saniyah King (Howard), Zamara Haynes (Maryland Eastern Shore), Kyla Bryant (North Carolina Central) and Morgan Callahan (North Carolina Central).

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Bogans, who played in all 29 games and made 12 starts, averaged 5.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. She ended the regular season tied for the team lead in steals with 43 and ranked 24th in the MEAC in steals and 20th in assists.

The Georgia native scored a season-best 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, dished out five assists and tied a career-high four steals against North Carolina Central (1/7). She set a career-high six assists and had three steals against Washington Adventist (11/20).

Green, a native of Columbia, Md., averaged 4.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She concluded the regular season ranked 11th in the MEAC in rebounding and 19th in blocks.

She fell short of a double-double with a season-high 15 points and a season-high nine rebounds at North Carolina Central (2/17) and put together nine points and nine rebounds at Delaware State (2/3). Green finished with a season-high five steals to go with 14 points and five rebounds in a win over Presbyterian in the Puerto Rico Clasico (12/18).

Bogans and Green were joined on the MEAC All-Rookie team by Ericka Huggins (Delaware State), Saniya King (Howard) and Shakiria Foster (North Carolina Central).

Recipients of the MEAC's top awards were: Player of the Year (Diamond Johnson, Norfolk State); Defensive Player of the Year (Laila Lawrence, Coppin State); Rookie of the Year (Saniyah King, Howard); Newcomer of the Year (Naya Ojukwu, Morgan State); 6^th Player of the Year (Anjanae Richardson, Norfolk State) and Coach of the Year (Larry Vickers, Norfolk State).

The Lady Bears completed the regular-season 13-16, 6-8 in the MEAC to finish in sixth place and the No. 6 seed in this week's conference tournament.

The 2024-25 regular season champion, First Team honorees and other award winners, including Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, 6th Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Coach of the Year, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to the honorees' first games in tournament play.

Tournament play begins Wednesday, March 12 and runs through Saturday, March 15 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. #6 Morgan State will take on #3 Maryland Eastern Shore on Thursday, March 13 at 2 p.m.

For more information, log on to www.MEACHOOPS.com.

2025 All-MEAC Women's Basketball Honors
As voted on by the conference's head women's basketball coaches and sports information directors.

2025 All-MEAC Women's Basketball Honors
Coach of the Year – Larry Vickers, Norfolk State
Player of the Year – Diamond Johnson, Norfolk State
Rookie of the Year - Saniyah King, Howard
Defensive Player of the Year – Laila Lawrence, Coppin State
Newcomer of the Year – Naya Ojukwu, Morgan State
6th Player of the Year – Anjanae Richardson, Norfolk State

First-Team All-MEAC
Laila Lawrence, Coppin State
Angel Jones, Coppin State
Destiny Howell, Howard
Diamond Johnson, Norfolk State
Kierra Wheeler, Norfolk State

Second-Team All-MEAC
Saniyah King, Howard
Zamara Haynes, Maryland Eastern Shore
Naya Ojukwu, Morgan State
Kyla Bryant, N.C. Central
Morgan Callahan, N.C. Central

Third-Team All-MEAC
Kiarra McElrath, Delaware State
Nile Miller, Howard
Zennia Thomas, Howard
Anjanae Richardson, Norfolk State
Da'Brya Clark, Norfolk State

All-Rookie Team
Ericka Huggins, Delaware State
Saniyah King, Howard
Michaela Bogans, Morgan State
Nia Green, Morgan State
Shakiria Foster, N.C. Central

All-Defensive Team
Laila Lawrence, Coppin State
Nile Miller, Howard
Diamond Johnson, Norfolk State
Kierra Wheeler, Norfolk State
Morgan Callahan, N.C. Central
Jada Tiggett, N.C. Central

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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

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

#0 Tamaria Rumph: G; 5' 4"; Sophomore

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

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

#13 Naya Ojukwu: F; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

#0 Tamaria Rumph
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: G

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

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

#13 Naya Ojukwu
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman
: F