Jan. 31, 2011

Game Notes | Live Audio | Live Stats

HAMPTON, Va. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team continues their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference season with a 7 p.m. matchup with Hampton University on ESPNU Monday at the Convocation Center.

On Saturday, the Hawks fell, 77-73, in the final seconds to Howard in Washington, D.C. Redshirt junior Hillary Haley (Oxon Hill, Md.) scored 29 points and redshirt sophomore Mark Robertson (Lakewood, N.J.) scored a career-high 17 points.

Haley made a career-high 12 field goals and tied his-career best 21 field goal attempts on the night. He previously went 11-of-21 from the field at Navy on Nov. 27. Haley also led the team with eight rebounds. Robertson went 5-of-8 overall and from 3-point range to tie his career-best, which he set on Nov. 17, 2009 at Marquette.

UMES (4-16; 1-6) is also led in season scoring by Haley who averages 16.7 points per game. He has scored 74 points in the last three games for the Hawks, an average of 24.7 per. Haley now ranks third in the league in scoring behind Hampton's Darrion Pellum and Bethune-Cookman's C.J. Reed. Junior Tyler Hines (Sicklerville, N.J.) leads the team with an average of 6.5 rebounds per game.

The Pirates have won four of their last five games including a 70-66 overtime win on Saturday over Delaware State. Pellum paced Hampton with 28 points and 13 rebounds while connecting on six 3-pointers. The Pirates lead the MEAC in scoring defense, allowing just 60.7 points per contest.

HU leads the overall series between the two schools at 18-6. The two teams met only once last season, with the Pirates defeating UMES, 79-65, at the Hytche Athletic Center on February 1. The last time the Hawks defeated HU was on February 11, 2008 at the Hytche, 68-62.

Tonight's game will be broadcast live on the Hawks Radio Network at 95.9 The Sports Animal and on the Internet at UMESHawks.com thanks to allinbroadcasting.com. Bret Lasky has the call for UMES while Dave Vatz hosts the studio show.

The game will also be broadcast live on ESPNU with Charlie O'Neal and Stan Lewter.

CAREER HIGH FOR ROBERTSON Mark Robertson scored a career high 17 points on Saturday against Howard. Eleven of his 17 points came in the first half. All five of his field goals were from behind the 3-point arc. Robertson had not scored more the five points in the eight games prior.

39 ASSISTS IN LAST SIX Kevin White has dished out 39 assists in the last six games. He tied his season high with nine assists Jan. 22 against Coppin State. White has just 19 turnovers over the last five games. He had just one against Coppin State.

FIVE GAME STRETCH FOR HINES Tyler Hines has 50 points and 36 rebounds over the last five games. Hines has increased his scoring from 3.7 last year to 8.2 this season. Hines has already scored more points this season (163) than he did all of last season (118).

74 POINTS IN LAST THREE Haley has scored 74 points in the last three games, an average of 24.67 per game. He now ranks third in the league in scoring behind Darrion Pellum and C.J. Reed.

OFFENSE IMPROVING UNDER ALLEN This year's Hawks have produced the best scoring average in the three years under head coach Frankie Allen. UMES is fourth in the conference, scoring 67.9 points per game. In 2008-09 (Allen's first year), the Hawks averaged 58.6 points per game. In 2009-10, UMES averaged 60.8 points per game. Since the 2002-03 season, the Hawks have averaged over 65.0 points per game.

THIRD IN CONFERENCE Tyler Hines ranks fourth in the MEAC in offensive rebounds per game (3.15). Hines leads the Hawks with 63 offensive rebounds. Hines ranks ninth in the MEAC in overall rebounding at 6.5 per contest.

RING THE BELL Louis Bell ranks fourth in the MEAC in 3-point shooting percentage at 40.7. Bell has made 22 3-pointers in 54 attempts this season.

OBAME OBAME COMING ALONG Freddy Obame Obame has scored 21 points and has grabbed 14 rebounds over the last three games combined. In the game prior against Bethune-Cookman, he went without a point or rebound. Obame Obame ranks fifth on the Hawks in scoring at 6.1 points per contest.

ALL 20 Kevin White and Dishawn Bradshaw are the only two players that have started all 20 games this season. Bradshaw leads the Hawks in minutes per game at 30.9.

MR. 100 Kevin White needs two assists to go over 100 for the season. White would become the first player since at least the 2001 season to record back-to-back 100 assist seasons.

ON THE TELLY UMES is 0-3 in TV games this season. The Hawks also went 0-3 in TV games last season.

"BONES" INDUCTED INTO HALL On Jan. 20, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced that James "Bones" Morgan Jr., former Maryland State College basketball player from 1966 to 1970, will be inducted into the conference's Hall of Fame in March. Morgan currently holds the CIAA record for rebounds with 1,741, which also stands as the school record. He led the conference in rebounds his last two seasons. In his four years in Princess Anne, Morgan averaged a double-double each season. He also ranks seventh in school history with 1,554 points.

BEST 3-POINT PERCENTAGE UMES had its best shooting night from 3-point range on Saturday. The Hawks hit 11-of-22 attempts from downtown for a season high 50 percent shooting night.

DOUBLE-DIGIT 3'S For a third time this season, UMES buried double-digit 3-pointers against Howard (11). The Hawks hit ten against the Pitt on Dec. 18 and 12 against Navy on Nov. 27. UMES is averaging 5.9 3-pointers per night.

COACHES CORNER The next edition of the "Coaches Corner Radio Show" will originate from Peaky's Restuarant & Pub on Thursday, Feb. 5 from 7-8 p.m. The show also airs live on WGOP 540 AM. Radio broadcasters Bret Lasky and Dave Vatz host the show from Peaky's.

PIRATES SCOUTING REPORT The Pirates enter this game second in the MEAC with a 6-2 record in conference play and the best overall record at 16-5. Hampton is coming off an overtime win against Delaware State 70-66 at home, winning their third conference game in their last four contests.

DARRION DOMINATION Darrion Pellum, local player out of Hampton, leads the MEAC in points per game with 18.4 a contest. In the last game against Delaware State, Pellum earned a double-double with 28 points and 13 rebounds, his first of the season.

CONSISTENT STARTING LINEUP Five players, Kwame Morgan II, Charles Funches, Brandon Tunnell, Danny Agbelese and Darrion Pellum have 104 of the 105 starts for the team this season. Wesley Dunning has the other start, stepping in for Pellum in one contest.

Edward Joyner Jr. enters his second season at the helm of Hampton and first one without the interim tag after three years as an assistant under Kevin Nickelberry, now head coach of Howard. He is not the only coach in his family: his father Edward Sr. is the head coach of St. Paul's College while his uncle Stephen Sr. leads Edward Jr.'s alma mater, Johnson C. Smith.

BIG BLOCKER In his first year with Hampton after two years at Collins CC, Danny Agbelese is the MEAC leader in blocks with 67, averaging nearly four a game. He also averages just under six rebounds a contest.

TOP DEFENSE IN THE MEAC Hampton has allowed only 60.7 points per game, which is the best in the conference. To add, the Pirates are the only team that currently averages more points scored than allowed with a scoring margin of +3.8. The Pirates also have the top field goal defense in the MEAC, allowing 38 percent a contest, three percent better than the second place team, Florida A&M (41 percent).

TOUGH AT HOME Hampton stands at 6-1 when playing in the HU Convocation Center, including three MEAC victories. The lone loss in Hampton came in a non-conference match against Delaware 55-53 on December 8.

THE BIG SECOND OPTION Kwame Morgan II is eighth in the MEAC in points with 14.7 a contest. He leads the team in three-point scores with 61 (33.7 percent).

STRONG BIG MAN Charles Funches is close to averaging a double-double each night, averaging 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds a game. He has three double-doubles this season.