Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In the third game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic, two top mid-major programs met in search of their first win. It was the Terriers of Wofford who edged the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore 73-63, pulling away at the very end despite the Hawks' solid inside game and high shooting percentage.

Senior Dominique Elliott (Savannah, Ga.) got on track in a big way. Staying out of foul trouble, Elliott took advantage of his size, grabbing seven board to lead UMES on the glass, but also adding 19 points while shooting 50-percent from the field.

As a team the Hawks shot a blistering 46.7-percent from the floor, and the near 50-percent tilt kept them in the game. Wofford however took advantage of a strong inside presence as well, outrebounding UMES 36-22, something unusual for a Bobby Collins squad. While the Hawks were better from the floor, Wofford was way better on the line, connecting on 19 of 24 free throws while UMES made just 13 of 22.

The game also featured the debut of point guard Thomas Rivera (Harlem, N.Y.). Rivera, who missed the first two games of the season, provided a spark, playing 20 minutes and chipping in seven points. His freshman counterpart Ahmad Frost (Cincinnati, Ohio) matched Rivera's time, but one upped him in baskets, accounting for nine points. They led the UMES offense but the Hawks still had trouble getting into system, accounting for just seven total team assists, with the duo adding just three combined.

Rivera showed a little rust, committing four of the Hawks' 13 turnovers, while Frost had a pair of his own. Wofford committed 10 miscues themselves and added 13 assists, showing a plus in the assist to turnover ratio category. The Terriers scored 16 points on those 13 Hawk mistakes.

The Hawks hung tough the entire game, trailing by just one, 35-34 at the break, without ever holding a lead. UMES tied the game seven minutes in at 12 all, but Wofford went on a run to go up by as many as 11 just four minutes later. The Hawks battled back again, tying the game at 32 with just over 2 minutes to play on a Ryan Andino (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) triple. They would tie it again a minute later on an Elliott lay-in, but a free throw with just 47 seconds left in the half created the one point difference.

In the second half UMES jumped out ahead on another Elliott basket for their first lead of the game. It was short lived however as Wofford would take the lead right back and extend it to eight 10 minutes later. They got up by ten a minute later, at the 8:44 mark, but UMES would keep fighting.

There was just 3:25 to play and the Hawks had cut the lead to four, 61-57 on a pair of Andino free throws, but Wofford again pushed the lead back to 10 with just over a minute to play. They went up 12, 69-57 with under a minute to play but Elliott scored to make the difference 10. After trading baskets Frost got a lay-in with seconds left to make the final score 73-63.

Bakari Copeland (Decauter, Ga.) was again a spark for the Hawks, adding nine points, matching Frost, and grabbing five boards. Senior star Devin Martin (Baltimore, Md.) was held to just eight points and five rebounds.

Spenser Collins paced the Terriers, netting 21 points to lead all scorers. Eric Garcia had 14 while their leading scorer entering the game, Fletcher McGee, had 12 points. Justin Gordon had 10 to account for four Wofford players in double figures. CJ Neumann snatched nine boards to lead the game on the glass.

UMES will play their final game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic and their home opener on Tuesday, November 24 against Fairfield. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The game is the second part of a double header with the women tipping off at 2:00 p.m. vs. Cheyney.