Nov. 9, 2007
Christopher Delgado
UMES Sports Information
PRINCESS ANNE, Md.-The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's basketball team started their season with a 68-57 exhibition win over Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) at the Hytche Athletic Center on Wednesday night.
After trailing 34-26 at halftime, the Lady Hawks responded in the second half by pulling away to a 68-57 victory. UMES got more than they bargained for, but it was to be expected.
"UMES has a better coach today because of my time with the Lady Vikings," said Batchelor. "But I wasn't going to go giving them a win over us. They have stepped up their program since I was there, so this is a good win, they had 21 victories last year"
The Lady Hawks were down in the first half by as many as 12 points, but climbed their way back in behind sophomore April McBride (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle H.S.) who finished with 21 points (14 first half points).
Batchelor and his coaching staff knew they would have to make second half adjustments and they did just that. ECSU's Celeste Trahan was virtually unstoppable in the first half scoring 17 points, but the Lady Hawks held her to just four points in the second half. She finished the game with 21.
UMES' second half adjustments were simple. Feed the ball down low to Jessica Ayilola (Brooklyn, N.Y./Robert Morris Univ.). After scoring only two points in the first half, she went on to finish with 14 all in the paint.
Tiffany Reid (Philadelphia, Pa./National Christian Academy) showed no signs of rust as she was the Lady Hawks' third leading scorer with nine. Reid saw her first action since the 2005-06 season after sitting out last year due to a shoulder injury.
The Lady Hawks will have to rely on six freshmen this season including local standout Casey Morton (Mardela Springs, Md./Mardela H.S.) who started the game at the point and finished with seven points.
Another freshman Josephine McLane (Centreville, Va./Westfield H.S.) was strong off the bench with eight points on three of eight shooting and two three pointers.
"With a lot of freshmen, and all six played tonight, we will take some time to get comfortable, gain confidence and compete consistently," said Batchelor. "I think you saw that tonight. However, it is also great, we are deep this year. We have a number of kids we can go to. I am comfortable with freshmen on the floor in bunches," he added. "I am really pleased with all the new kids."
Although Batchelor would have liked to have added ten more points to the final score, he saw the game as a stepping stone for his young team.
"I think this was a great opportunity for our team to come together and play against a quality opponent. We have a bunch of new faces on this team and also players that haven't played with each other yet," said Batchelor. "I think this taught us a lot and gives us the chance to carry some momentum into Saturday's game."
Meanwhile, the momentum Batchelor had hoped the team would carry into Saturday fell just short as UMES dropped their regular season opener 77-71 to Morgan State University (MSU) in a non-conference game at the Hytche Athletic Center.
"We aren't experienced enough yet to understand what it means to open your season at home against a conference team, even if it doesn't count in the standings," said Batchelor. "We got outplayed at every position tonight." Reid paced the Lady Hawks with 21 points despite being in foul trouble for most of the game, while McBride added 20 points.
"[Reid and McBride] played great but we struggled to find another presence. This just shows we are young, we have a lot to learn and we have to get better," said Batchelor.
However, it was Lady Bears Sophomore Corin Adams who stole the show, finishing with a game high 23 points. UMES never seemed to find an answer for her.
"Adams is one of the best players in our conference. She was tremendous as a freshman and I expect her to do great things for Morgan State this season," said Batchelor.
Although UMES (0-1) shot better than MSU (1-0) from the field (44-37.7 percent) and was better at the line (72.4-58.6 percent), it did not translate into a victory for the Lady Hawks.
Perhaps, it was in other areas that the Lady Bears took advantage. MSU had better production off their bench as they outscored UMES 25-18, including ten points from Shalene Price. Senior Brittany Adkins (Millsboro, Del./Sussex Technical H.S.) was the leading scorer off the bench for the Lady Hawks with eight.
MSU also committed nine fewer turnovers than UMES, 30-21, in which Lady Hawk freshmen accounted for 16 of those. Something Batchelor knows the team must work on.
"Our freshmen have to grow up quick, we are depending on them," said Batchelor.
Not all was bad, as the UMES freshmen were responsible for 14 points, including eight from Morton. As with every freshmen class there is a learning curve, one that Batchelor knows is tough for his players and something he admires them for.
"I really think they are wonderful. We are relying on them a lot and putting them in a tough position," said Batchelor. "However, I am confident they will pull through and lead us to better things."
UMES led by as many as seven in the first half and went into the locker room with a 34-32 lead. The score was close for most of the game as the teams exchanged leads ten times. The Lady Bears started to pull away with just over 13 minutes left in the second half as they increased their lead to ten.
The Lady Hawks closed the lead to four with 20 seconds left, but a pair of free throws for the Lady Bears clinched the 77-71 win.
A few simple words summed it up for Batchelor after the game. "We have to play harder."
Men's Basketball
In other action, the UMES men's basketball team dropped their season opener to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) 70-51 before a hostile crowd of 6,193 at the Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center Friday night.
"I was very pleased with our young men. I think they played extremely hard," said Interim Head Coach Meredith Smith after the game.
VCU (1-0) used a relentless full court press for majority of the game that forced the Hawks into 24 turnovers and the Rams capitalized by scoring 30 points off them.
"We did reasonably well considering we had a lot of freshman see the floor for us tonight in a very hostile environment," said Smith.
Despite only shooting 30.8 percent from the field in the first half, UMES (0-1) only trailed by 12 at the half 34-22.
The Rams went on an 11-0 run early in the second half to extend their lead to 45-24. However, the Hawks would respond with a 9-1 run of their own led by junior Ed Tyson (Baltimore, Md./Walbrook H.S.) that cut the lead to 50-38 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game.
Unfortunately, the Hawks could get no closer as Jamal Shuler nailed a pair of three-pointers that ignited a 10-3 run that ended all hopes of a comeback for UMES.
Defense proved to be a key factor in the game as VCU held UMES to 34.5 percent (19-of-55) shooting from the field and 20 percent (3-of-15) from three-point range. The Rams also had seven blocks on the night.
The Rams shot 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the field and 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from beyond the arc for the game.
VCU also held a tremendous advantage in getting to the line. Although both teams finished relatively equal in total fouls, 24-21, the Rams managed to accumulate 16 more free throw attempts than the Hawks, 35-19. VCU finished the game shooting 62.9 percent from the line, while UMES shot only 52.6 percent.
The Hawks were out rebounded by a slight margin of 43-40 and were led by freshman Denzel Jackson (Philadelphia, Pa./Lincoln H.S.) who grabbed eight rebounds off the bench.
Tyson led all scorers with 20 points, while Ishmawiyl McFadden (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz H.S.) added 12 points and five rebounds for the Hawks.
"[Jackson and McFadden] played exceptionally well for us tonight. Jackson was one of our better players off the bench and our best rebounder overall," said Smith. "These two freshmen were able to contribute for us right away."
Jamal Schuler led the Rams with 15 points, while preseason Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year selection, Eric Maynor finished with 12 points and five assists. Freshman Larry Sanders came up big off the bench with nine points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.
Overall, Smith was very pleased with the turn out and believes his team has a lot of potential.
"I am very happy with our team," said Smith. "For being picked last in our conference, I think we opened some eyes tonight."
Bowling
The UMES bowling team posted an 8-1 mark this past weekend in almost identical fashion. The Lady Hawks cruised through the MEAC Northern Division with their only loss coming once again to #18 Delaware State University (DSU) in a head-to-head match.
The fourth ranked Lady Hawks opened the event with the loss to DSU, 990-955. They went on to win the next four head-to-head matches with wins over Hampton, #14 Morgan State, Howard, and Coppin State.
Freshman Kristina Frahm(Oswego, Ill./Oswego East H.S.) averaged 226 in her four games, including a high game of 279 for the day. She finished with three games over 200
The Lady Hawks finished with 11 games over 200.
UMES (16-2) picked up four more wins on day two, including a baker game win over DSU, 799-773. They picked up three more baker match wins against Morgan State, Hampton, and Coppin State.
Currently, UMES is tied for first place in the MEAC Northern Division with Delaware State. Both teams are 16-2 in the MEAC. Note: DSU lost their second game during this past weekend's tournament to Howard.
Cross Country
The UMES men and women's cross country teams finished strong at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional this past weekend in Bethlehem, Pa. The men finished 24th overall, while the women finished 21st.
"We wanted to see how we stacked up against the heavy-hitters in our region," said Head Coach Ernest Barrett. "We did that this weekend. We know we are a top 25 ream in the region in both the men and the women's fields."
Georgetown won the men's race with 42 points, while Villanova placed second (70) and Princeton third (74). The Hawks finished with 675 points. Princeton won the women's event with 56 points. West Virginia took second place (77), while Georgetown finished third (79). The Lady Hawks finished with 558 points.
Merrecia James (Portland, Jamaica/G.C. Foster C.C.), the MEAC Most Outstanding Performer, finished 48th overall in the women's 6K race with a personal best time of 21:50. Tamica Thomas (St. Catherine, Jamaica/G.C. Foster C.C.) finished 92nd, the only other Lady Hawk to finish in the top 100.
Celia Whyte (Manchester, Jamaica/Essex County C.C.), Betty Chumbe (Nairobi, Kenya/Egerton University), Janeth Chelangat (Nairobi, Kenya/Kipsigis H.S.), and Tiffany Webb (Upper Marlboro, Md.) rounded out the finishers for the Lady Hawks.
Peter Sang (Kapsabet, Kenya/Kapsabet Boys H.S.) finished 56th overall in the men's 10K course with a time of 31:43. Sang was the only Hawk to finish in the top 100.
Amon Kiprotich (Kapsabet, Kenya/Tulon H.S.), Solomon Kirongo (Nairobi, Kenya/Kipkabus H.S.), Clayton James (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Kingston College), Nathaniel Taylor (Palm Bay, Fla./Bayside H.S.), Samuel Mwangi (Nairobi, Kenya/Naro Moru Boys), and Jerome Pyuzza (Laurel, Md./Laurel H.S.) made up the rest of the field for the Hawks.
"We have had an outstanding season," said Barrett. "Now, we need to work to keep our MEAC Championships and get better within the region. This was a great year because of a total team effort."
UPCOMING MATCH
UMES volleyball travels to Hampton, Va. on Friday, November 16 for the MEAC Championships. Their opponent is to be determined (TBD) with the winner advancing to play in the semi-final round on November 17. The championship game is also scheduled for November 17. All times are to be announced (TBA).
UPCOMING TOURNAMENT
The UMES bowling team competes in their only home match this season, hosting the Eastern Shore Hawk Classic on November 17-18 in Millsboro, Del. starting at 9 a.m. on both days.
UPCOMING GAMES
The UMES women's basketball team hosts Niagara University on Saturday, November 17 at 2 p.m. They play host to Saint Francis (PA) on Tuesday, November 20 at 7 p.m.
The UMES men's basketball team opens the home regular season on Thursday, November 15 against Stony Brook at 7 p.m. They travel to play in the South Padre Island Invitational against Bradley and Iowa on November 18 and 20. They conclude the tournament in South Padre Island, Texas with games against Valparaiso and either Austin Peay State or Florida Gulf Coast on November 23 and 24.
All basketball games will be broadcast on WTGM-AM 960 The Team.
