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The Morgan State Lady Bears nearly pulled off an immense upset against the North Carolina Central Eagles, but they fell short due to a last-second call. Morgan State really needed the win as they entered the game with a 2-4 conference record and a 7-14 overall record. They were coming off a victory against South Carolina State that snapped their previous four-game losing streak.
On the other side, North Carolina Central nearly squandered what should have been an easy win. The Eagles are currently second in the MEAC behind the 6-1 Norfolk State Spartans, and a loss would've hurt their chances of grabbing that top spot in the conference.
From the opening tip, North Carolina Central realized that this game would not be a cakewalk. Morgan State never trailed by more than five points and, after the first five minutes, took control of the scoreboard. After falling behind 11-6, the Lady Bears went on a 9-2 run to take the 15-13 lead. They held the lead for the rest of the quarter and went into the second with a slight 19-18 edge.
Morgan State took a bit of a step back in the second quarter, despite Amari Smith's quick five-point burst at the very start. The Lady Bears led by as much as six points before the Eagles got back into the game. North Carolina Central's Kimeira Burks took charge for the offense, scoring nine points on consecutive possessions to give her team the 31-30 lead. She followed that up with a three-pointer, and then Kyla Bryant hit one from deep to extend the Eagles' lead even further. They entered halftime with a 39-30 advantage.
Morgan State tried to fight back in the third quarter, but North Carolina Central's offense kept rolling. The Lady Bears cut the lead down to five points a couple of times. The Eagles continued to hit timely shots to stave off the Lady Bears' assault, then they took charge later in the quarter. Morgan Callahan had six points for the Eagles in the the third quarter; each time she scored, she stopped Morgan State's run. Her final layup of the period gave North Carolina Central a 57-47 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bears tried to storm back in the fourth quarter, and nearly completed the comeback. North Carolina Central held a near double-digit lead for most of the quarter, but Morgan State made a push in the final five minutes. After another Callahan basket to put the Eagles up 64-57, the Lady Bears went on a 6-0 run. Anjanae Mueck scored six of Morgan State's last eight points. She sunk two free throws that put them down 64-63 with two minutes to go.
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Neither team could score until North Carolina Central's Tippy Robertson made a free throw to go up 65-63. Morgan State eventually tied the game with their own free throws from Amari Smith. The Eagles made another free throw to take a slight 66-65 lead with just seconds remaining. In the waning moments of the game, Gabrielle Johnson drove to the hoop and made what would have been a game-winning layup, but the referees overruled the score, saying that the clock had already expired.
Amari Smith and Anjanae Mueck both had 15 points for the Morgan State Lady Bears. Sith added six rebounds and made two three-pointers, while Mueck had seven rebounds and two steals. Jael Butler finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
The North Carolina Central Eagles had five players who scored in double-figures. Morgan Callahan led all players with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Aniya Finger had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Kyla Bryant had 12 points. Kimeira Burks and Tippy Robertson both had 10 points, but Robertson also finished with six rebounds and eight assists.
Morgan State returns home on Feb. 17 to play Maryland-Eastern Shore, while North Carolina Central goes to Washington, D.C., to play Howard the same day.
