Jan. 10, 2014
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Tomorrow (01/11), the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's basketball team returns to the William P. Hytche Athletic Center after 45 days away, including a seven-game road trip, to host their conference home opener against the Spartans of Norfolk State University. Game-time is slated for 2:00 p.m. (EST) Also, tomorrow's contest is Take A Kid to the Game Day (TAKG), sponsored by Refuel. For more information, please Click Here.
"We're excited to return back home," said Fred Batchelor, UMES women's basketball head coach. "The ladies are eager to step back onto our home-court and defend our house against a tough NSU (Norfolk State University) squad."
LAST TIMEOUT
The Lady Hawks kept the contest close, but were unable to recover from Savannah State University's (SSU) late surge as they fell, 63-46. After SSU scored the first basket in the second half, 31-26, the Lady Hawks would go on a 6-0 run to take the lead, 32-31, with less than three minutes into the second period. With over eleven minutes in regulation, UMES and Savannah State were deadlocked, 41-41, until the Lady Tigers went on a 12-2 run to regain and take a commanding lead, 53-43, with less than six minutes in the game. UMES continued to battle, but Savannah State was too much as they ended the game on a 13-3 run to win, 63-46.
TOP PERFORMERS
Ashleigh Claybrooks (Manassas, Va.) scored a team-high 13 points off the bench while grabbing five boards. Jessica Long (Fort Washington, Md.) chipped in nine points in a losing effort. Other notable Hawk performances included Shawnee Sweeney (Chester, Va.) and Taryana Kelly (North Brunswick, N.J.) each posting six points while Shanyce Stewart (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) registered a season-high eight points, including two triples, and 11 rebounds in the loss.
MATCHUP PREVIEW
Saturday's matchup is the 35th meeting between the schools, dating back to 1981-82 season, where the Spartans lead the all-time series, 21-13. Prior to Coach Batchelor's arrival, the series was one-sided in favor of Norfolk State as they won the first 15-out-of-16 contests. Since Batchelor took over the program (2004), the Lady Hawks have won 12-of-the-next-18 games.
Last season, both squads defended their home-turf as they split the regular-season series (1-1). In the first matchup (01/12/13), the Lady Hawks defeated Norfolk State in overtime, 86-80, with Karona Roach leading all scorers (31). Sha-Kiyla Finney provided a spark off the bench and recorded 14 points while Sweeney notched 13 points, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Kashay Barnes was the high-scorer for the Spartans as she posted 25 points in the loss. In the re-match (02/11/13), Norfolk State won, 54-51, to avenge the loss earlier in the season. Roach and Finney combined for 29 points to pace the Lady Hawks, but the Spartans' Ebony Brown and Rachel Gordon matched their point total (29) to propelled Norfolk State to victory.
This season, the Spartans are among the top scoring teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), averaging 64.1 points-per-game and shooting nearly 40-percent from the field as a team, led by Rae Corbo and Rachel Gordon. Corbo leads the Spartans in multiple categories, including points (13.2), assists (3.6), and steals (1.1). Prior to the season, Gordon was selected to the 2013-14 MEAC Women's Basketball Preseason Team and ranks among the nation's top rebounders, posting 12.4 boards-per-contest. Click Here to view NSU's game notes.
For the Lady Hawks, the backcourt duo of Long and Sweeney lead the Hawk attack, combining for over 25 points-per-game. Stewart is among the conference leaders in rebounds, averaging a little under 10 rebounds-per-game (9.8) while Alexis Udoji (Randolph, Mass.) anchors the defensive, tallying less than two blocks a game (1.8). Click Here to view UMES' game notes.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Next Saturday (01/18), the Lady Hawks return to our Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C., to face conference foe, Howard University, inside Burr Gymnasium. Game-time is set for 2:00 p.m. (EST)
For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visit www.umeshawks.com.
