|
Feb. 9, 2008
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - After trailing by one at halftime, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Hawks turned it up on both ends of the floor in route to a 59-56 win over Howard University on Saturday night in the William P. Hytche Athletic Center. The Hawks were able to convert on 11 straight free throws in the second half and 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) overall for the game, while limiting Howard on the defensive end to just 11 total free-throw attempts (6-of-11). "I thought our ability to execute down the stretch made all the difference in the game," said Interim Head Coach Meredith Smith. "We spent a lot of time in the 2-3 zone during practice this week and I felt it helped us tonight." UMES (3-21, 1-8 MEAC) snapped a 12 game losing streak and picked up their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) win of the season behind a solid performance from freshmen Marc Davis (Baltimore, Md./Walbrook H.S.) who led all scorers with 20 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the foul line. Davis also added a career-high eight assists to go along with four steals and four rebounds. Despite facing a 25-24 deficit at the break, the Hawks battled back and took a one point lead on an Ed Tyson (Baltimore, Md./Walbrook H.S.) lay-in with 15:25 left in the game. Howard countered with an Anthony Thomas dunk on the ensuing play that gave them the advantage right back. A Curtis White three-pointer on their next trip down would extend the Bison lead back out to four, 35-31, which matched their largest of the half. However, UMES would answer with a nine point run that featured a Gary Lee (Flint, Mich./Northwestern University) three-pointer and an Ishmawiyl McFadden (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz H.S.) dunk on a pinpoint pass from Davis to cap off an amazing stretch that seemed to give the Hawks the momentum. Senior BJ Nimocks (Detroit, Mich./Cloud County C.C.) gave the Hawks their largest lead of the night on two different occasions, nine, both on a pair of impressive second chance lay-ins. The latter giving UMES a 48-39 advantage with 3:05 remaining in the game. The Bison made it interesting down the stretch as they cut the lead down to three on two separate occasions and then to 58-56 on a White three-point basket with 12 seconds to go in the game, but each time were thwarted off by key UMES free throws as they held on for the win. Tyson, the MEAC's leading scorer, finished just below his season average with 18 points. While no other Hawk player finished in double digits, McFadden, Lee, and Nimocks did add eight, seven, and six points respectively. Lee also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. Howard was led by Eugene Myatt with 16 points, while White added 15 points. Paul Kirkpatrick chipped in with 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Both teams shot a respectable number from the floor with UMES holding the slight advantage (38.3-36.4 percent). Howard did manage to out shoot the Hawks from beyond the arc (35.7-18.2 percent) but on 28 attempts. The Hawks did outscore Howard in the paint, 14-10, and off turnovers, 21-12, while holding close in several other categories, including rebounds (36-31), turnovers (15-12), and second chance points (14-9). UMES will remain at home as they prepare to host Hampton University on Monday, February 11 in a game nationally televised by ESPNU. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:05 E.T. and can be heard on WTGM-AM 960 The Team or live on the internet at www.umeshawks.com. |
|||||||||
| ||||||||||
