Women's Basketball | 3/13/2025 5:10:36 PM
NORFOLK, VA – Graduate student Zamara Haynes poured in 19 points and dished out seven assists, while junior Ce'nara Skanes added 18 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks as third-seeded Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) defeated sixth-seeded Morgan State 74-67 in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women's Basketball tournament at the Scope Arena on Thursday.
Also scoring in double figures for Coach Malikah Willis' Lady Hawks were Ashanti Lynch with 13 points and Dakerian Turner, who contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.
With the win, UMES improved to 14-16 and advanced to Friday's 2 p.m. semifinal matchup against second-seeded Howard, who earlier defeated seventh-seeded Delaware State 85-49.
Morgan State, playing in what would be the final game for retiring head coach Ed Davis, was led by Stanford transfer Naya Ojukwu. The redshirt freshman posted a game-high 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and a 9-of-13 performance from the free-throw line. Junior Ja'la Bannerman added 11 points for the Lady Bears, who finished the season at 13-17.
UMES jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, highlighted by a three-pointer from Turner at the 6:42 mark in the first quarter. Morgan State responded with back-to-back baskets from Bannerman to cut the deficit to 10-4. The Lady Hawks closed the first quarter with a 19-10 advantage.
A three-pointer by Dakota Alston to open the second quarter brought Morgan State within six at 19-13, but UMES edged out the Lady Bears 21-20 in the period, maintaining a 39-31 lead at halftime.
The Hawks opened the third quarter with a dominant 10-0 run, extending their lead to 49-31 following a Mahogany Lester putback at the 7:39 mark. However, Morgan State answered with a 10-2 spurt to trim the deficit to 52-41. Both teams tallied 19 points in the third quarter, as UMES entered the final period leading 58-50.
Morgan State won the fourth quarter 17-16 and pulled within 73-67 on an Ojukwu jumper late in the game, but that was as close as they would get. UMES sealed the victory with strong rebounding and timely free throws, securing a spot in the semifinals.
The Lady Hawks dominated the boards with a 49-29 rebounding advantage and led in assists, 19-16, but struggled with turnovers, committing 25 compared to Morgan State's 18.
Looking ahead to their semifinal matchup against Howard, Coach Willis emphasized the team's preparation. "We have been preparing the last few weeks for this atmosphere. The Bison are going to have five out there, and so will the Hawks."
The Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks will face the Howard University Bison on March 14, with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
For more information visit MEACHoops.com.