Box Score

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team escaped Saturday afternoon with another road victory, topping Bethune-Cookman by a final score of 74-70. UMES (11-10, 4-2) never trailed in the second half, but the Hawks had to hold off a comeback bid from the Wildcats to secure the win.

The contest opened as a tight matchup in the first twelve minutes of action. The lead switched hands four times in that span, with five ties as well. Dominique Elliott (Savannah, Ga.) sparked a 10-2 run for the Hawks by scoring five straight baskets for UMES, establishing a 27-21 lead with 5:17 remaining in the first half. A couple of smooth jumpers from Ryan Andino and Devin Martin pushed the Hawks' advantage out to ten points at halftime, 41-31.

Both offenses continued to hum along, shooting over 50% percent for the game. UMES found just enough answers to keep some distance ahead of the Wildcats. On several occasions, Bethune-Cookman pulled within six or seven points, only to see the Hawks push the advantage back to double digits. The lead remained at 10 points, until eight minutes to play at 66-56 after two free throws by Mike Myers (Camden, N.J.).

The UMES offense relied on free throws to sustain the lead. After a layup by Ishaq Pitt at the 8:35 mark, the Hawks did not net a field goal until a dunk with eight seconds to play. Bethune-Cookman used the drought to trim the lead to three points at 70-67 with 1:55 left. After a few defensive stops and free throws for UMES, Brandon Stewart drained a three-pointer for the Wildcats to pull within two points at 72-70 with 16 seconds to go. However, UMES broke loose of the pressure defense for a game-sealing dunk by Martin.

The Hawks shot 56.9% as a team, while Bethune-Cookman was nearly as sharp at 52.0%. The difference was turnovers as UMES scored 20 points off 17 Wildcats giveaways. Myers tallied another double-double at 24 points and 10 rebounds. Elliott carried the Hawks in the first half, finishing with 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field. Free throw shooting let down UMES for the second straight game, sinking just 11-of-21 (52.4%) of their foul shots. With Myers and Elliott overpowering Bethune-Cookman, UMES dominated the scoring in the lane 40 to 22.

With the win, UMES climbs back over .500 at 11-10, still the latest a Hawks squad has sported a winning record since the 1993-94 season. The victory also improves UMES to 4-2 in conference play, jumping ahead of Hampton and South Carolina State who both lost on Saturday. The Hawks currently sit in fourth place in the MEAC behind North Carolina Central, Norfolk State and Delaware State. The win was also the seventh road victory of the season for UMES, second in the NCAA behind Murray State. UMES had just one road win last season at Coppin State, which snapped a previous two-year road drought.

The Hawks now try for a Florida sweep as they cross the Sunshine State to Tallahassee for a Monday night matchup against Florida A&M. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at the Al Lawson Center following the conclusion of the women's basketball game.