From morganstatebears:
NORFOLK, Va. (Oct. 23, 2019)-The Morgan State women’s basketball team was picked to finish seventh in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office on Wednesday morning.
Defending MEAC regular season champion North Carolina A&T was picked to claim the 2020 title, while defending tournament champion Bethune-Cookman was picked to finish second.
North Carolina A&T senior guard C’Coriea Foy was selected as the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.
All predicted order of finish and preseason all-conference awards were voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Last season the Lady Bears were picked to finish sixth and concluded the 2018-19 campaign with a 10-21 overall record and 8-8 in the MEAC, which was good for sixth. Morgan State, which played the entire season with a roster of just eight players, lost to rival Coppin State, 50-48 in the first round of the MEAC Tournament.
Defending MEAC regular-season champion North Carolina A&T picked up 12 first-place votes and had a total of 229 points in being named the preseason favorite. The Aggies finished last season with a perfect 16-0 mark in league play.
Bethune-Cookman, the defending MEAC Tournament champion was picked to finish second, receiving eight first-place votes for 215 points, while Howard (197 points) was picked to finish third. Norfolk State (162 points) was picked to finish fourth and Maryland Eastern Shore (135 points), which picked up one first-place vote, was picked fifth.
Rounding out the rest of the preseason poll are South Carolina State (110), Morgan State (100), North Carolina Central (94), Delaware State (88), Coppin State (78) and Florida A&M (44).
Foy was a major part of an Aggies squad that ran the table in conference play in 2018-19, averaging 13.4 points per game and dishing out 2.7 assists per contest. Her 2.6 steals per game were the second-most in the MEAC, and Foy was even better in conference play – averaging 14.0 points and 2.8 assists a game to rank eighth in the league in both categories.
Joining Foy on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are Bethune-Cookman’s Ashanti Hunt, Coppin State’s Chance Graham, Howard’s Sarah Edmond and South Carolina State’s Taylor Brown
The 2019-20 Lady Bears will be led by head coach Edward Davis, Jr., who enters his eighth overall season with the program and fourth as the head coach, after spending four seasons as an assistant coach.
Morgan State returns four letterwinners from a year ago, including two starters, while welcoming a total of 12 newcomers.
The season gets underway on Tuesday, Nov. 5, when the Lady Bears travel to Milwaukee, Wis. to take on Marquette at 11 a.m. CT, before welcoming Notre Dame of Maryland to Hill Field House for its home opener on Friday, Nov. 8 at 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Bears begin the MEAC slate on the road in Dover, Del. when they visit Delaware State on Sat. Jan. 4. Morgan State’s MEAC home opener will be on Monday, Jan. 6 against South Carolina State.
The 2020 MEAC Basketball Tournament is scheduled for March 9-14 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
The MEAC Media Relations Office contributed to this release.
2019-20 MEAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
As voted on by the MEAC’s head women’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.
(First place votes in parenthesis)
Team Points
1. North Carolina A&T State (12) 229
2. Bethune-Cookman (8) 215
3. Howard 197
4. Norfolk State 162
5. Maryland Eastern Shore (1) 135
6. South Carolina State 110
7. Morgan State 100
8. North Carolina Central 94
9. Delaware State 88
10. Coppin State 78
11. Florida A&M 44
2019-20 MEAC Women’s Basketball Preseason All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the MEAC’s head women’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.
Preseason Player of the Year: C’Coriea Foy, North Carolina A&T State
First Team
| Name | Pos. | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| Sarah Edmond | G | Sr. | Howard | Freeport, N.Y. |
| Taylor Brown | F | Sr. | South Carolina State | Paterson, N.J. |
| Chance Graham | F/C | Jr. | Coppin State | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| Ashanti Hunt | G | Gr. | Bethune-Cookman | Washington, D.C. |
| C’Coriea Foy | G | Sr. | North Carolina A&T | Fayetteville, N.C. |
Second Team
| Name | Pos. | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| Jayla Thornton | G | Jr. | Howard | Newark, N.J. |
| Ayonna Williams | G | Sr. | Howard | Washington, D.C. |
| La’Deja James | G | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Virginia Beach, Fla. |
| Cinia McCray | G | Jr. | North Carolina A&T | Broadview, Ill. |
| Paulina Afriyie | F | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Bronx, N.Y. |
Third Team
| Name | Pos. | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| Amaya Scott | F | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Sunrise, Fla. |
| Lanayjha Ashe | G | Sr. | Delaware State | Roanoke Rapids, N.C. |
| Imani Bryant | F | Sr. | Howard | Berkeley, Calif. |
| Bairesha Gill-Miles | F | Jr. | Maryland Eastern Shore | Lexington, Ky. |
| Alesus Lessears | C | Sr. | North Carolina A&T | Cleveland, Ohio |
