Morgan State guard Ja’Niah Henson entered Saturday’s matchup against Coppin State averaging 11.6 points per game. She nearly eclipsed her season average in the first half in a 69-51 victory over the hometown rival Eagles.
Her biggest contribution to the victory began from the 3-point line, where she shot 3-for-5. Henson, who went 6-for-12 from the field, had a game-high 10 points in the first half, adding a number of scores on second-chance opportunities and ending with 19 in the game. The importance of the local rivalry wasn’t lost on Roland Park alumni.
“Today was very important, especially with me being a Baltimore native,” Henson said. “I already know about the rivalry and it’s just extremely important to get the win. It’s bragging rights. With me being the point guard, I was still trying to play within the flow of the offense. So, I had open shots as well and with me being open, I hit those shots.”
The Bears were relentless on defense with 13 steals, converting 17 points off turnovers. Morgan State showed its discipline on the defensive end, committing just 16 fouls to Coppin State’s 25. For Coppin State head coach Laura Harper, that is the exact opposite of the game plan that they entered the contest with.
“I feel like there was a lack of discipline in my team,” Harper said. “As far as the fouls, we committed them in them in the fourth quarter and we were just extremely handsy. The way that we play defense, we don’t like to put defenses on the line 31 times.”
The Bears and Eagles immediately went to work with a tight first quarter (8-8). Coppin State guard Aliyah Lawson led her team with a quick six points in the opening frame, while Henson’s four points paced Morgan State. Both teams struggled from the field — Morgan State shooting 2-for-13 and Coppin State 1-for-14.
Scoring seemed to come much more naturally for the Bears in the second period, shooting 5-for-15 and making three of four 3-pointers. The Bears led for 5:52 during the second quarter, driven by Henson’s two 3-pointers and Ashia McCalla’s five points. Lawson scored six more points, but Morgan State led 24-21 at the half.
Lawson continued to attack the basket in the third quarter — beginning by breaking down the defense with a 2-point jumper and returning to drill a 3-pointer just seconds later. Lawson added two free throws and another jumper. While Coppin State shot 5-for-14 from the field and made a 3-point field goal, Morgan State made it a point to attack the bucket and get to the free-throw line. The Bears made 9 of 10 free throws to take a 41-35 lead into the fourth.
Henson started Morgan State’s march toward victory with a layup in the opening minute. Adia Brisker soon got to the free throw line to sink both just minutes after. Henson came back with a 3-point field goal with 7:06 remaining and then Nina Carpenter scored her first bucket, followed by Dahnye Redd’s layup to give the Bears a 52-41 lead. Morgan State continued its hot shooting going 11-for-11 from the line and 8-for-12 from the field to grab the win.
Lawson finished with a career-high of 27 points and 12 rebounds. Her previous highs were against Dayton on Dec. 31, 2019, where she scored 19 points and versus Delaware State on Feb. 22, 2020 where she grabbed seven rebounds. Scoring came easily for the junior guard, who looked to be “aggressive the entire game.”
“[I] didn’t want to take any mental lapses or any dips throughout the game,” Lawson said. “Through the length of the game, I wanted to stay aggressive from the beginning because I feel like when I stay aggressive, not only can I open some shots for myself, but some for my teammates as well.”
Lafayette 66, Loyola Maryland 57: Emily McAteer poured in a career-high 19 points, hitting 7 of 15 shots from the field, but hot shooting from Lafayette throughout sent the Leopards to a Patriot League victory.
Sunday’s meeting between the two sides, which was scheduled for 4 p.m., has been canceled due to expected inclement weather. Loyola (0-5 PL, 0-2 South) is currently scheduled to return to action next Saturday with a 2 p.m. matchup at Bucknell.
Natalie Kucowski contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for Lafayette (1-4 PL, 0-4 Central), which was playing in its first game since January 10 due to COVID-19 protocols. The Leopards shot 52.1% (25-48) from the field overall, and they hit 6 of 12 attempts from 3-point range.
Laryn Edwards chipped in a career-high five steals for the Greyhounds, who forced 17 turnovers on the afternoon while committing only eight giveaways. Loyola’s nine team steals were a new season best.
Taleah Dixon (McDonogh) totaled 12 points for the Greyhounds, matching a career-high with five assists.
Men
William Mary 84, Towson 74: Jason Gibson had 22 points for the Tigers (3-9, 2-5 Colonial Athletic Association), who have now lost four games in a row. Zane Martin added 16 points. Nicolas Timberlake had 15 points.
Connor Kochera had 23 points of 9-of-12 shooting and William & Mary.
Quinn Blair had 19 points for William & Mary (5-7, 3-4). Luke Loewe added 16 points. Mehkel Harvey had four blocks.