Feb. 6, 2012
Final Stats
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - It was sweet revenge for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team on Monday night as the one-two punch of senior forward Adobi Agbasi (Columbus, Ga.) and junior forward Chelsea Sanders (Rochester, N.Y.) directed a Hawk outfit that overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to post a 62-58 overtime win over Norfolk State University. The pair accounted for 75 percent of the Hawks' scoring as the duo came up big time after time for UMES in the victory.
The game was a reverse of fortune for UMES, who posted a 17-2 run across the final 10 minutes of second half-play to move the game into overtime. UMES overcame the same 15-point second-half deficit against Norfolk State just 29 days ago, but it was the Hawks who were heartbroken as NSU won on a half-court heave by Rae Corbo that fell through as time expired.
It was a shot that the Hawks did not forget.
UMES (8-13, 5-4 MEAC) did not allow a single Spartan point across the final 6:41 of regulation as the offense reeled off 13 straight points to even the game at 52 with 30 seconds left. With the score tied, the maroon and grey had two chances from the free-throw line to take the lead but neither shot was converted and following a missed NSU jumper, the game would go into overtime.
It was all UMES in the extra period, where the Hawks scored the first five points of the frame en route to an 8-2 run and six-point lead, 60-54. Sanders opened up overtime with a jumper at the 4:13 mark; the first lead for the Hawks in the entire game.
Norfolk State (9-13, 4-7 MEAC) brought the game to within three points with less than a minute left in overtime, but a jumper by Sanders in the final moments proved to be the final dagger in the heart of the Spartans.
UMES never led in the first-half, where NSU jumped out to an early lead that extended into double-digits after 12 minutes. The lead would reach as high as 16 points in the half as the Spartans dominated play on both sides of the ball to take an eight-point lead, 32-24, at intermission.
The Hawks posted a 28-20 scoring advantage in the second-half and held a plus-seven advantage in turnovers. Sanders and Agbasi were on the court for the entire second-half and serviced a lineup that went on a 17-2 run in the final stages of the game.
With the victory, UMES now moves into fifth-place in the conference standings as North Carolina A&T dropped a 68-63 decision to Florida A&M earlier in the night.
Agbasi continued her trek towards the UMES record books as the senior blocked a career-high eight shots, the most by a single player in Fred Batchelor's eight-year tenure. It was the first of three career-highs for her. Her total points (22) and rebounds (11) were also the most of her Hawk career.
Agbasi, who is the MEAC leader in blocks, now stands just 32 blocks shy of Kristi Veltkamp's all-time blocks record of 231. Her tally on the night was just two blocks shy of UMES' first triple-double in decades.
Sanders has scored at least 20 points in three of the past five contests as she tied a career-high with 25. She brought down six rebounds and snagged two steals, while shooting 50-percent from the field (9-of-18). She combined with Agbasi to account for 22 free-throw chances, where the duo converted 15.
Senior guard Kwinnyata Mercer (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) and sophomore Shanyce Stewart (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) each had eight rebounds, while Sanders, Mercer and senior guard Amber Cook (Greensboro, N.C.) each had two steals. Cook collected a team-high seven assists.
NSU was led by Bridges and Long, who each posted a team-high 12 points. Rachel Gordon had eight rebounds, while Recca Trice had three steals. The Spartans held a substantial advantage in shooting percentage and from long-distance, but were unable to hold down UMES' late charge.
The Hawks will be on the road for their next four games as the squad begins the trip with a pivotal matchup against MEAC foe, Morgan State University, on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m.
