Game Notes

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team will meet St. Francis (PA) University on Saturday afternoon in Loretto, Pa. The Hawks (1-3) will try to bounce back after a lopsided loss to #15 ranked Virginia Commonwealth, 106-66 on Thursday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday at DeGol Arena.

UMES is coming off a stretch in which they played three games in four nights, including two matchups with ranked opponents. The Hawks are still in the midst of a prolonged road trip, having played four of eight games away from Princess Anne before the home opener on December 2.

On Thursday, UMES could not keep up with the run-and-gun style of VCU and their pressure defense, falling 106-66. However, the offense improved significantly for the Hawks, even in the losing effort. The 66 points for UMES were a season-high total, excluding the exhibition against Salisbury. As a team, UMES shot 38.3%, including a very respectable 8-for-21 from beyond the arc. Devon Walker, in particular, caught fire by making seven three-pointers on the night. Another area of improvement on offense was free throw shooting. The Hawks made 22 of 28 free throw attempts, good enough for 78.6% as a squad.

St. Francis (PA) comes into Saturday's matchup with a 1-2 record on the season, with their only victory over Division III Keystone College. In their two games against Division I opponents, the Red Flash offense has struggled mightily, putting up 37 points against Cincinnati and 46 points at American.

The Red Flash return their top five scorers from last year's squad, which finished with a 10-21 overall record and a 7-9 mark in the Northeast Conference. St. Francis plays in the same conference as Mount St. Mary's, who UMES already beat this past Wednesday by the score of 53-41. This will be the third season in Loretto for Red Flash head coach Rob Krimmel. Under Krimmel, St. Francis doubled their win total from five wins in his first season to ten victories in 2013-14.

With a victory, UMES can match their non-conference win total from last season already. Hawk fans can listen live to all the action on the Hawks Radio Network powered by SFMSports.net and Fox Sports 960 AM. Pregame coverage starts twenty minutes before tip-off at 3:40 p.m.