Nov. 23, 2004
Box Score
PRINCESS ANNE, MD - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Lady Hawks basketball team lost a close match to the Towson Tigers, 73-68, in their first home game of the season.
The Lady Hawks (0-3) had three players score in double figures. They were led by senior Octavia Thompson (Colonial Heights, VA/Matoaca), who finished with 16 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. Toni Kennedy (Baltimore, MD/Grayson County CC) and Jamila Griffith (Barbados, West Indies/Tallahassee CC) each added 11, while Daynese Stowe (Philadelphia, PA/Florida CC) scored eight points in 11 minutes off the bench.
Kelly Robinson led the Tigers (2-0) with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Alis Freeman chipped in with 15 points, while Mia Spasowska and Kelli Talbot each added 12 and 11 respectively.
UMES started the game on an 11-4 run, a span in which Thompson made three consecutive fast break baskets, two of them from beyond the arc. But the Hawks were not able to keep up the momentum as Towson played good defense and forced UMES into committing 13 first half turnovers. The Tiger lead ballooned to 17 points going into the break, with Towson leading the Lady Hawks 41-25.
UMES started the second half strong by pressuring the ball and taking more shots in the paint. That led to four Tiger turnovers in the first five minutes of play, which fueled an 19-5 run by the Lady Hawks. A lay-up by Thompson cut Towson's lead to just two points at 12:09, but the lead grew to 13 points at the eight minute mark due to six consecutive missed free throws by three different UMES players.
The Hawks were able to capitalize on several missed free throw opportunities from Towson, but it wasn't enough as the Tigers held on to win the game.
"We didn't play a whole lot better than we did in Michigan, but we always fight to the end", said head coach Fred Batchelor. "We're trying to learn to be more resilient in taking runs from opponents, but that is hard when you miss free throws."
UMES will be on the road for their next two games, traveling to Brooklyn, New York to participate in the LIU Turkey Classic. The Lady Hawks will play host LIU on Friday, November 26 and either Oregon/Miami on Saturday, November 27, depending on the day one results of the tournament.
