MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Morgan State 2015-16 Season Preview Under the direction of head coach Donald Beasley, who enters his 11th season at the helm and last season became the program’s winningest head coach (128-171), and with the pieces in place, things could once again be looking up for the Morgan State women’s basketball team in 2015-16. After a few down years, last season was a rebuilding year for the program and a passing of the torch from the team’s lone senior and team captain in Tracey Carrington, who averaged 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals in her final season as a Lady Bear. She finished her career ranked third all-time in scoring with 1,548 points, 10th in rebounding (570) and 11th in steals (124). Carrington earned All-MEAC second team honors and was named to the Madness MEAC All-Conference second team by College Sports Madness. With the help of Carrington and the molding and development of talented freshman guard Braennan Farrar, Beasley was able to guide a young Lady Bears squad to an 11-19 overall mark and 8-8 in MEAC action, good for a seventh-place finish in the league standings. While the finish was a far cry from the 5-25 record and 3-13 MEAC mark during the 2013-14 campaign, Beasley felt the team could have done more and had a better record. Morgan State returns 12 letterwinners this season, including four starters. Returning for the 2015-16 season are starters Braennan Farrar (5-6, So. G, St. Louis, Mo.), Dinah Jones (6-1, Sr., F, Annapolis, Md.), Danielle Robinson (5-10, Jr., G, Woodbridge, Va.) and Lexus Spear (6-2, So., F/C, Jacksonville, Fla.). Also returning are reserves Simone Sampson (6-1, Sr., F, Cheverly, Md.), Ivy Harrington (5-9, Jr., G, Neptune, N.J.), Tykyrah Williams (5-11, So., F, Durham, N.C.), Zuri White (5-8, So., G, Durham, N.C.), Jayde Duncan (6-0, Jr., F, Baltimore, Md.), Torri Chestnut (5-8, So., G, Bowie, Md.), Janelle Silver (5-5, Jr., G, Washington, D.C.) and Britashia Burns (6-0, F/C, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). An All-MEAC Rookie Team selection a year ago and a 2015-16 preseason All-MEAC second-team selection, Farrar, will be looked upon to provide leadership and scoring for the Lady Bears. Farrar started 29 of the 30 games played and averaged 13.9 points last season, which ranked second on the team. Farrar, who scored a career-high 30 points in the finale at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, also knocked down seven threepointers, which ranks second on the Morgan State single-game charts. She would lead the team in three-pointers made with 45 and also added 3.1 rebounds, and led the Lady Bears in assists (2.6) and steals (2.2) per game. Jones, who is also a member of the volleyball team at Morgan State, averaged 3.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per outing. Jones played in 24 games, making 18 starts and finished with eight steals, 13 assists and was tied for third in blocks with five. Robinson played in all 30 games, making 20 starts. She would average 4.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the season. Robinson finished second on the team in total assists with 37 and was second in blocks with 11. Spears had a productive freshman campaign a year ago, finishing second on the team in rebounds with 5.1 per game and third in scoring with 5.2 points per outing. Spears started 28 of the 29 games she played and led Morgan State in total rebounds with 147 and added 20 steals and four blocks. Sampson played in all 30 games, making three starts. The former Riverdale Baptist High School product, led the team in blocks for the second consecutive season, this time finishing with 16. She pulled down 3.9 rebounds and scored 2.7 points per outing and also added 15 steals. Harrington came off the bench to average 4.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per game last season. She started in two of the 29 games she played in and tallied 27 steals and two blocks. Early on in the season Harrington set the school record for consecutive shots made with 14 straight. Williams averaged 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season as a reserve. The North Carolina native, played in 28 games and made eight starts, while finishing tied for third in the team in blocks with five. Williams also had 28 steals to go with 19 assists. White appeared to be well on her way to having a tremendous freshman season, before having to sit out. A native of Durham, N.C., White played in 18 games and made six starts and led the team in rebounds with 7.1 during that time. She reached double figures in rebounding five times, including a season-best 14 rebounds against Brown. White averaged 4.2 points per game and finished with 24 steals, eight assists and two blocks. A native of Baltimore, Md., Duncan appeared in 25 games and made six starts last season. The reserve forward would average 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 points per game a season ago. Duncan would also add 12 steals and four blocks. Chestnut returns to the team after sitting out the second semester last season. The Bowie, Md. native averaged 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in the 11 games she played. Prior to sitting out she had her best game as a Lady Bear against Bethune-Cookman in what would be her final contest. Chesnut would connect on all three of her three-point attempts for a career-high nine points and added three rebounds. Silver saw action in 19 games, coming off the bench to record 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 points. Silver would collect seven steals, two assists and a block. Burns, who sat out last season, returns to the Lady Bears for her sophomore season. As a freshman during the 2013-14 campaign, Burns played in 26 games with 13 starts and averaged 1.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest. The Florida native also recorded six steals, five blocks an assist. Morgan State will also welcome three newcomers this season in junior transfer Benedicta Makakala, who comes from Tallahassee Community College and freshmen Chelsea Mitchell and Passion Scott, who are both Maryland natives. The Schedule This year’s 28-game schedule will feature 12 non-conference games, four of which will take place at Hill Field House, a regular season tournament hosted by the United States Naval Academy, along with a competitive 16-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) slate. For the second consecutive year, Morgan State will have a total of 12 games in the friendly confines of Hill Field House. Seven of Morgan State’s upcoming opponents for the 2015-16 campaign reached postseason play last season. Six opponents (James Madison, Syracuse and defending MEAC Tournament champion, Savannah State) reached the 2015 Women’s NCAA Tournament. Two (Colorado State and MEAC foe, Hampton) competed in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, while two (Siena and Stony Brook) took part in the Women’s Basketball Invitational. Siena would reach the title game of the WBI, eventually falling to Louisiana Lafayette by two points. The Lady Bears begin the 2015-16 season at home against Washington Adventist on Nov. 15. Two days later Morgan State will take to the road for the first time, when they travel to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on James Madison in the first of six consecutive games away from home. Morgan State will visit Brown (Nov. 21), followed by Syracuse (Nov. 23), before returning to the State of Maryland to take part in the Naval Academy Tournament in Annapolis, Md. The Lady Bears will open up with Colorado State on Nov. 27 and will face either host Navy or Siena on Nov. 28. Morgan State will conclude the road swing with a non-conference game at Robert Morris on Dec. 2 in Moon Township, Pa. Morgan State will return home for two games to open up MEAC play. The Lady Bears will host Norfolk State for the MEAC opener on Dec. 5 and will take on league power, Hampton on Dec. 7, before taking to the road to face Virginia Tech (Dec. 9). After a visit from crosstown rival, the University of Maryland Baltimore County on Dec. 12, the Lady Bears will travel to Stony Brook, N.Y. to face Stony Brook on Dec. 14 and will close out the 2015 portion of the schedule by hosting Bucknell on Dec. 22. The Lady Bears will open up the New Year at home, with a Jan. 2 contest against the University of Missouri-Kansas City. It will be the final non-conference game of the season for the Lady Bears. From that point on it will be all conference games for the remainder of the season. Morgan State will conclude a three-game homestand with a match-up against Delaware State (Jan. 9), before beginning a three-game road trip starting with Maryland Eastern Shore (Jan. 11). The Lady Bears will then travel to the Sunshine State for the first time since 2012. Morgan State will take on Florida A&M (Jan. 16) and will travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. for the first time since 2011 to face Bethune-Cookman (Jan. 18). Morgan State then plays host to Howard (Jan. 30), in the only match-up between the two teams, and Coppin State (Feb. 1), before heading back on the road for a four-game road trip, its second longest of the season. The Lady Bears will visit defending tournament champion, Savannah State (Feb. 6) and South Carolina State (Feb. 8), before heading to the Tidewater area of Virginia to face Norfolk State (Feb. 13) and Hampton (Feb. 15). Following home contests against North Carolina Central (Feb. 20) and North Carolina A&T (Feb. 22), the Lady Bears will make the short trek to rival Coppin State (Feb. 27) for the final road game of the regular season. Morgan State will return home for its home finale and ‘Senior Day’ against Maryland Eastern Shore (Mar. 3) to close out the regular season. 44 @MEACSPORTS MEACSPORTS MSU Team Information 2014-15 Overall 11-19 2014-15 MEAC Record 8-8 2014-15 MEAC Finish 7th Letterwinners Returning/Lost 12/5 Starter Returning/Lost 4/1 Newcomers 3 #21 Ivy Harrington G – 5-9, Jr. Neptune, N.J.
2015-16 MEAC Women's Basketball Yearbook
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