BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 8, 2025)--Playing at home for the first time in over a month, the Morgan State women's basketball team ended a season-long 14-game losing streak on Thursday evening, following a 64-63 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory over North Carolina Central at Hill Field House.
 
Kailyn Nash led three Morgan State players in double figures scoring with 17 points and also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Jael Butler tallied 11 points and five rebounds and Ja'la Bannerman came off the bench to add 10 points to help the Lady Bears end the program's third longest losing streak on the Division I level.
 
Morgan State (2-16, 1-1 MEAC) trailed 29-22 at the intermission and was down 34-24 early in the third quarter when the Lady Bears used a 20-0 run to change the momentum. Gabrielle Johnson hit a three-pointer to even the score at 34 all and Butler hit a jumper in the lane and added the free throw to complete the three-point play to give Morgan State the 37-34 lead, its first since leading 11-8 in the first quarter.
 
The Lady Bears were done yet, as Nash hit a trey from the top of the key and Mihjae Hayes and Bannerman each added a layup to push Morgan's lead to 44-34 with 2:56 left in the quarter.
 
NCCU (3-12, 0-2 MEAC) would score the next five points to trigger a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to three points (45-42) at the end of three quarters.
 
The Eagles, who would never reclaim the lead again, would get within a point five times in the fourth quarter. Najah Lane drained a three-pointer from the left corner to bring the guests within 62-61 with 1:33 to play, It would be the Eagles' lone three-pointer of the second half.
 
Hayes later hit two free throws to put Morgan ahead 64-61 with 9.7 seconds left in the game. Aniya Fingers would miss the game-tying three-pointer at the top of the key, to give the Lady Bears the ball back. Morgan State, however, turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, as the Eagles' Morgan Callahan stole the ball and hit a jumper just inside the three-point line with .3 seconds left, as Morgan State would survive with the one-point victory.
 
Callahan led all players with 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting. She also recorded a game-high four steals, had five rebounds and two assists for the Eagles. Lane finished with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting and had a team-high three assists.
 
Bannerman broke an 8-8 game in the first quarter when she knocked down a three-pointer from the right elbow to give the Lady Bears an 11-8 lead with 2:40 to play in the opening quarter. That would be Morgan's last lead of the half. NCCU scored the next six points and held a 17-13 lead after one quarter of play.
 
The Eagles began the second period with a three-pointer by Natalie Jasper to trigger a 7-2 run, which increased the guests lead to 24-15 with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter. Morgan State used a 7-2 spurt to close within 26-22. But the Lady Bears would be held without a point the remaining 2:38, as NCCU took a 29-22 lead into the intermission.
 
Morgan State will close out its two-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 10 when they welcome South Carolina State to Hill Field House. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+. The Lady Bulldogs (4-13, 1-1 MEAC) are coming off a 58-47 victory at Coppin State 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.