Jan. 11, 2010
Princess Anne, Md. - Both the men's and women's basketball teams were in action again this week, with each team playing games both at home and on the road, looking to end losing streaks. The men wrapped their Midwest road swing with a matchup at Oklahoma, before returning home to host South Carolina State. The Lady Hawks opened the week at American and travelled to North Carolina Central before hosting the Lady Bulldogs. Both the men's and women's indoor track teams were in action as well, competing in the NYU Gotham Cup in New York City.
Men's Basketball
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team trailed early and never recovered, as the Oklahoma Sooners handed the Hawks a sound defeat Monday, 88-54. The Sooners never trailed and looked impressive on both ends of the floor in front of over 9,000 fans at the Lloyd Noble Center. Freshman center Sean Berry (Irvington, N.J.) posted the second double-double of the season for the Hawks, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds, both team highs.
Junior Tim Burns (Franklinville, Md.) had another solid performance, but it wasn't enough as the UMES men's basketball team was topped by South Carolina State, 80-67, Saturday at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center. Burns, who had recently gotten over a bout with suspected food poisoning, scored a game-high 20 points (17 in the second half) on 8-for-12 shooting (3-for-4 from 3-point). He also had four rebounds and one assist. Redshirt sophomore Hillary Haley (Oxon Hill, Md.) and senior Neal Pitt (Fort Washington, Md.) also scored in double digits with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Pitt, playing for the first time in five games due to an ankle injury, also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. UMES fell to 3-11 overall and 1-1 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play, while SCSU improved to 7-5 and 1-0.
Women's Basketball
Senior April McBride (New Rochelle, N.Y.) scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds but the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team's comeback effort fell short as American topped the Lady Hawks, 57-46, at Bender Arena Monday. UMES (2-6) got to within one at 41-40 with 6:12 to play on a fast-break layup by Bria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y.) but never got any closer the rest of the way. The loss for the Hawks is their second straight while the win for the Eagles (7-7) snapped a two-game slide.
McBride led three UMES players in double figures with her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 16 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as North Carolina Central topped the Lady Hawks, 69-60, at McDougald-McLendon Gym Thursday. McBride's stellar game was upstaged NCCU guard Joanna Miller's 32-point, six-steal effort to help the Lady Eagles (4-11) post their first win in the short four-game all-time series between the two schools. Miller shot 10-for-22 from the field, including 5-of-9 from 3-point land and added four rebounds and three assists. Chena Parker (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) chipped in with 13 points and five boards for UMES (2-7) in just her second game of the season after sitting out the first semester.
Four starters scored double figures while McBride and freshman Chelsea Sanders (Rochester, N.Y.) recorded a game-high 19 points apiece as the Lady Hawks defeated South Carolina State, 82-69, at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center Saturday. Both Parker and Casey Morton (Mardela Springs, Md.) finished with 14 points to help the Lady Hawks (3-7, 2-0 MEAC) stop a three-game losing streak. With the win, UMES improved stayed unbeaten in conference play through two games for the second consecutive season. The loss for the Lady Bulldogs (5-8, 0-1) is their fifth in the last six games.
Indoor Track
After nearly a month off for the holiday break, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's and women's indoor track and field teams were back in action with the NYU Gotham Cup/Metropolitan Coaches Invitational at the Armory Track and Field Center in Manhattan, N.Y. Senior Saisha Woodward (Atlanta, Ga.) broke her own school record, set on December 11, 2009 in the Coach O Invitational, in the women's weight throw. The previous record of 15.78-meters was topped with the new throw of 16.29-meters, which was good for fourth place. Senior Allodin Fothergill (New Hempstead, N.Y.) placed first out of 52 in his only event of the day, the 500-meter dash, with a time of 1:03.10. Junior Paul Jones-Burden (Rahway, N.J.) and sophomore Johan Welter (Paris, France) placed 17th and 33rd, respectively, with times of 1:06.31 and 1:09.14.
Upcoming Week (Jan. 4 - Jan. 11)
Both the men's and women's basketball teams will be in action Monday night, hosting Winston-Salem State. They will travel to Florida for the first of two games in the Sunshine State, facing Florida A&M on Saturday. The Hawks indoor track teams next compete in the Maryland Invitational in Landover, Md. on Saturday, Jan. 16 while the Lady Hawks take on the Navy Invitational in Annapolis, Md. on the same day.
