Game Notes

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team will have an opportunity to exact some revenge as the Howard University Bison visit Princess Anne on Monday night. UMES (14-13, 7-5) needs to defend their home court for a series split after a loss in Washington, D.C. earlier this season.

For Homecoming on Saturday, UMES hosted their biggest rivals, the Delaware State Hornets. Despite a valiant effort in the second half, the Hawks were unable to complete a furious comeback. UMES cut the Hornets' lead to two points in the final minute, after trailing by as many as 18, but Amere May sealed the game for Delaware State with a difficult floater with 11 seconds left. After a couple of free throws, Delaware State completed a 91-85 victory. Freshman Ryan Andino set his career-high with 18 points scored for UMES, shooting 6-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc. Senior Mike Myers finished a rebound shy of another double-double, putting up 23 points and nine boards.

The Hawks have stumbled in recent weeks, as they face the most difficult stretch in their league schedule. UMES has lost three of their previous four games, including an 83-74 defeat to the Howard Bison. In that game, the Hawks led by double digits in the first half, but the advantage disappeared by halftime. Tied at 33 at the break, Howard burst out for a 13-3 run to start the second half. The Hawks never gave up or went away, but they could not climb out of the hole from that run.

The two Jameses, Carlton and Daniel, starred for Howard in the first matchup between the schools, combining for 52 points. Cartlon, a senior, scored 31 points against UMES two weeks ago. This has become standard for the Bison's leading scorer, as Carlton has scored at least 20 points in six straight games and eight out of his last ten. Daniel, last year's MEAC Rookie of the Year and this year's preseason MEAC Player of the Year pick, scored 21 points against the Hawks.

UMES was handicapped in the first matchup, as they played without junior guard Devin Martin. Dealing with a minor knee injury, Martin missed three games including the contest at Howard. On the season, Martin is the Hawks' second leading scorer at 13.5 points per game. Martin is also one of the best three-point shooters in the conference at 39.3%, fifth in the MEAC. Teammates Ryan Andino and Devon Walker top the list at first and second respectively.

Monday's matchup holds plenty of significance for the MEAC conference tournament. The top four teams by league record will receive first-round byes. Entering Monday, Howard occupies one of the byes with their third place standing at 7-4, while UMES is just outside the top four. The Hawks are tied for fifth place at 7-5 with South Carolina State. With a win on Monday, the Hawks would leapfrog Howard in the MEAC standings.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at William P. Hytche Athletic Center in Princess Anne, Md, following the conclusion of the women's basketball game. Hawks fans can tune into the Hawks Radio Network, powered by SFMSports.net and Fox Sports 960 AM in Salisbury, Md. Doug Newton and Dave Byrd will have the call of both games of Monday's doubleheader.