ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Feb. 16, 2026)--Morgan State ended its five-game losing skid with a 73-47 thumping of host South Carolina State on Monday afternoon at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
 
With the win, Lady Bears avenged their three-point (62-59) loss to South Carolina State earlier this season in Baltimore. Morgan State improved to 4-22, 3-7 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), while South Carolina State fell to 5-19 overall, 2-7 in the MEAC.
 
The game, which was postponed from Saturday due to the recent shooting on the South Carolina State campus, allowed Morgan State, which last played Thursday night at North Carolina Central, some extra days of rest.
 
The Lady Bears took full advantage and appeared to be refreshed, as four players scored in double figures, including two double-double performances. Kailyn Nash finished with 12 points and a season- and game-high 13 rebounds to record her first double-double at Morgan State, while Michaela Bogans tallied 11 points and a career-high 10 steals to secure her first collegiate double-double. Jael Butler finished with a team-high 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, four rebounds and two blocks, while Selina Gutierrez came off the bench to score 10 points.

Bogans' 10 steals are the most by a Morgan State player since the 2010-11 season, when Moneshia Davis collected 10 steals against Northwestern State (11/27/10) and fell one shy of tying the school record of 11 steals held by Corin Adams (11/21/07; NC Central), Kaira Warfield (2/24/96; Maryland Eastern Shore), and Mary Frazier (1/10/81; West Chester).
 
South Carolina State scored just four seconds into the game, which would be its only lead of the game. Morgan State responded with a 17-0 spurt over the next four minutes and 28 seconds to take a 17-2 lead with 5:28 to play in the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs pulled within five points (19-14) on a three-pointer by Iemyiah Harris with 1:21 left in the opening period.
 
Harris would connect on another three-pointer at the 3:06 mark in the second quarter, which cut Morgan State's lead to a point (29-28), capping off a 14-8 run by SC State in a seven-minute span. That would be as close as the Lady Bulldogs would get, as Morgan State held a 38-32 halftime advantage.
 
The guests came out after the intermission and outscored SC State, 28-6 in the third quarter to all but seal the deal. Morgan State scored the first 13 points of the period to take a 51-32 lead. A three-pointer by Shaunice Reed at the 6:20 mark, ended the Lady Bulldogs' scoring drought, but Morgan State would close out the period on a 15-3 run, while displaying their long-range shooting with Tiyanna James, Gutierrez draining three-pointers to start the run and Dakota Austin hitting back-to-back treys to close it out and give the Lady Bears the 66-38 cushion after three quarters.
 
Austin (nine points) began the fourth quarter knocking down her third consecutive three-pointer of the game to give the guests a 31-point lead at 69-38 with 8:44 left in the contest. Nash later would provide the final points for Morgan State on a tip-in to give the Lady Bears their largest lead of the game at 32 points (73-41) with 2:49 to play.
 
Morgan State forced 28 South Carolina State turnovers and recorded 17 steals. The guests would convert those turnovers into 23 points. The Lady Bears picked up their second road win of the season in 16 attempts, while South Carolina State fell to 3-10 at home and remained winless (0-6) at home against MEAC competition.
 
The Lady Bears return home to welcome Delaware State in a MEAC contest on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. at Hill Field House. It will be Band and Cheer Day, as well as Alumni Day.
 
Delaware State (4-21, 1-9 MEAC) will enter the contest riding a five-game losing streak, following its 77-45 loss at Norfolk State on Saturday.
 
 
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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.