Morgan Lady Bears Extend Home Winning Streak To Five Straight; Defeat NJIT, 55-43

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The Morgan State women's basketball team improved to 4-0 at home this season, following its 55-43 victory over New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House. The win is Morgan State's fifth straight at home dating back to last season.

The Lady Bears (5-3) were again led by senior Lexus Spears, who scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, as Morgan State improved to 3-1 all-time against NJIT. It was the third consecutive game that Spears has scored 20-plus points. The Jacksonville, Fla. native shot 9-of-14 from the floor and recorded two steals and a block.

Fellow senior and St. Louis, Mo. native Braennan Farrar finished with 14 points, five rebounds, a team-high three assists and two steals. Tayler Miller, another senior out of St. Louis, Mo., came off the bench to add seven points, a team-high three assists and two steals.

The Lady Bears would shot 43 percent (23-of-53) for the game, including a period-best 53 percent (8-of-15) in the third quarter. Morgan State outscored the guests, 36-10 in the paint and had a 14-1 advantage in second chance points. The Lady Bears' bench had a 13-4 advantage and Morgan State finished with a 39-25 rebounding cushion over the Highlanders.

NJIT (0-8) shot 16-of-41 (39 percent) for the game and connected on 8-of-20 (40 percent) from the free throw line. Tatianna Torres led the Highlanders with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Ellyn Stoll scored 10 points and had two assists and Amarri Trueheard added seven points. Dez Allen led the team with six rebounds.

The Highlanders matched their largest lead of the game (7 points) at 20-13 with 6:58 to play in the second quarter, but the hosts responded with a 9-0 run, capped off by a basket by Farrar to give the Lady Bears their first lead of the game at 22-20. Morgan State would take a 24-23 lead into the lockerroom.

Trailing 27-26 early in the third quarter, the Lady Bears used a 13-2 spurt to take control of the game and take a 39-29 lead on a layup by Miller at the 3:15 mark in the third quarter. NJIT would pull within four points two different times, the last coming at 43-39 after a jumper by Trueheart with 5:57 left in the game. Morgan State however, would push the lead back to 12 points on an 8-0 run and never looked back.

The Lady Bears will host Florida International on Monday, Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. FIU won the lone meeting, 77-60 on Jan. 3, 2012 in Miami, Fla. The Panthers (2-6) were dealt a 69-62 loss at Howard on Saturday. FIU is 0-2 this season against members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with its other loss coming against Bethune-Cookman (77-59) earlier in the season.

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