BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 7, 2026)--The Lady Bears were back on their home hardwood on Saturday afternoon for the first time after a four-game road trip. Senior center Jael Butler came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points and fifth-year forward Kailyn Nash added 10 points and seven rebounds, but it wasn't enough to reign victorious against the visiting Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Hawks, who won 66-53.
 
This was the Hawks' sixth straight win against Morgan State and third consecutive win at Hill Field House. Morgan State dropped to 3-21, 2-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), while UMES improved to 14-11, 7-1 MEAC.
 
The Hawks, who were playing their fourth game in a week (recording a 3-1 mark), had a balanced scoring attack led by their grad student guard Dayshawna Carter, who had a game-high 16 points and added a triple. Senior forward Brianna Barnes chipped in for 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and collected three steals on the afternoon. UMES had help on the glass too, as forwards Lainey Allen (nine points) and Dakieran Turner both shared a game high eight rebounds.
 
In the first quarter the Lady Bears held a 7-6 lead early, but turnovers seem to be the story of the game for them. Losing the turnover battle 29-15. The Hawks totaled 12 steals and scored 28 points off Morgan's turnovers.
 
Morgan's 7-6 advantage would be its last lead of the game, as the Lady Bears would trail 17-14 after one quarter of play and 33-26 at the intermission.
 
UMES crashed the offensive glass very well, finishing the game with 17 rebounds, which the Hawks turned into 16 second chance points. The guests also dominated the scoring inside, holding a 40-22 cushion.
 
The Hawks finished the game shooting 41% (25-for-61) from the floor, 18.2% (2-for-11) from three-point range and was 77.8% (14-for-18) from the charity stripe.
 
Coincidentally the Lady Bears also shot 77.8% (14-for-18) from the free throw line. But they were (17-for-44) 38.6% from the floor and connected on 45.5% (5-for-11) from beyond the arc.
 
Next Up: Morgan State will now prepare for its annual Carolina's trip, beginning with a MEAC contest at North Carolina Central on Thursday, Feb. 12 at McDougald-McLendon Arena. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. in Durham, N.C. and will air live on ESPN+. The Lady Bears survived in the first meeting, defeating the Eagles 64-63 in Baltimore (1/8).
 
NC Central (5-15, 1-5 MEAC), which is the lone team to defeat UMES in MEAC play, dropped a 58-45 decision at Norfolk State on Saturday. The Eagles will host Delaware State on Monday, Feb. 9 in a makeup game at 5:30 p.m., before facing Morgan State.
 
 
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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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