Feb. 13, 2010
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
Princess Anne, Md. - Florida A&M University (FAMU) shot over 60 percent from the floor at times on Saturday, and proved to be too strong for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) men's basketball team, as the Hawks fell, 80-71.
Junior Tim Burns (Franklinville, NJ) scored a team high 17 points for the Hawks in defeat. With the loss UMES (7-18, 5-6) falls to below .500 in conference play.
"I'm very disappointed with the way our defense played," said UMES head coach Frankie Allen. "We let (FAMU) have whatever shots they wanted, and we were never able to get back in the game as a result."
The Rattlers shot over 56 percent from the floor in the first half (18-32 FG), and took a 44-39 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Hawks also shot well over the first 20 minutes (16-28 FG, 57 percent), and outrebounded FAMU, 18-10, before the break.
The crowd at the Hytche Center was treated to an up-tempo, back-and-forth first half that saw eight ties and 12 lead changes. A Burns lay-up capped off a 9-0 run for the Hawks that gave them a brief lead, 25-21, with 7:30 remaining.
"Our guards deserve some credit for the way they hustled," said Allen. "They kept us in the game early on."
In the early minutes of the second half, however, the Rattlers were able to extend their lead. FAMU went on a 12-3 run over the first six minutes of the second half after a Larry Jackson jumper. Jackson led all scorers with 18 points.
A pair of free throws from Jackson extended the Rattler lead to 19 points, 73-54, with 3:23 to play. UMES was able to finish strong, however, ending the game on a 17-7 run.
"We let (FAMU) get into a rhythm early, and they took advantage," said Allen. "It's too bad because I felt like we were able to do some good things tonight, but we just didn't show up on the defensive end."
Joining Burns in double figures for the Hawks were junior Josh Bright (Salisbury, Md.) and sophomore Hillary Haley (Oxen Hill, Md.) with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman Sean Berry (Irvington, NJ) led all rebounders with 12.
"We have 48 hours until Bethune Cookman comes here Monday night," said Allen. "We have to figure out how to correct our mistakes before they arrive."
The Hawks will host the Wildcats Monday, with a tip-off scheduled for 7:30.
