NORFOLK, Va. (Jan. 22, 2026)--Morgan State's Jael Butler came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points, but it wasn't enough as the Lady Bears fell to defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Norfolk State, 78-52 on Thursday night at Echols Hall.
 
Morgan State dropped to 3-18 on the season and 2-3 in the MEAC, while the Spartans improved to 9-11, 4-1 MEAC.
 
Butler shot 7-of-14 from the field, connected on all four of her free throw attempts, pulled down six rebounds and had a game-high two blocks. Kailyn Nash added nine points, four boards a block and a steal, while Tiyanna James finished with seven points, three rebounds and a steal. Gabrielle Johnson recorded a game-high four steals to go with six points and Mihjae Hayes tallied a game-high six assists.
 
The Lady Bears came out and matched Norfolk State in the opening quarter. Morgan took its largest lead of the game on back-to-back layups by and Butler and James, to give the guests an 11-7 lead with 4:09 to play. The Spartans closed out on a 9-5 spurt to take a 16-15 lead after one quarter of play.
 
Morgan reclaimed the lead (17-16) in the second quarter on a basket by Butler, but the Spartans responded with a 21-7 run over the final nine minutes to take a 37-24 advantage into the locker room.
 
Morgan State shot 21-of-61 (34.4%) for the game and connected on 2-of-14 (14.3%) from beyond the arc. The Lady Bears would shoot 80% (8-for-10) from the charity line.
 
The Spartans finished the game going 29-of-63 (46%) from the floor, including 30% (7-of-23) from the three-point arc. Norfolk State converted on 13-of-16 (81%) from the free throw line.   
 
On Saturday the Lady Bears will head to the Nation's Capital to face Howard in a MEAC contest at 11 a.m. at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. The game will air live on ESPN+. Howard (14-7, 4-1 MEAC), winners of two straight and four of its last five, is coming off a 64-51 victory at Coppin on Thursday.
 
 
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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.