PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team face another difficult test in the Tidewater area, this time against the second-place Norfolk State Spartans. UMES (13-12, 6-4) visits Norfolk State University for an 8:00 p.m. tip-off on Monday night in Echols Hall.

UMES has lost two consecutive games coming into Monday's contest, the first instance of back-to-back losses for the surging Hawks since November. UMES had gone 17 games without two straight defeats, compiling a 12-5 record over that timeframe. On Saturday, however, UMES saw a 13-point first-half advantage dissipate with a couple of big runs by the Hampton Pirates. In the final two minutes, Reginald Johnson spun home a three-point play to put Hampton on top. In the waning seconds, Devin Martin missed a potential game-tying three-pointer as UMES lost by a final score of 64-61.

In his first game back after a two-week absence, Martin gave a lift to the Hawks' offense, which saw only five players score on Saturday. Martin scored 13 points after missing three games with a minor injury. Martin complements the duo of Devon Walker and Ryan Andino who both currently top the league in three-point accuracy at 41.7% each. Martin is no slouch either at fourth-best in the MEAC, shooting a smooth 40.4% from long range. As a squad, UMES remains the best three-point shooting team in the conference at 38.5%.

The conference standings remained the same with Saturday's results. With losses from both South Carolina State and Delaware State, UMES sticks in fourth place for the time being, a half-game behind the Howard Bison for third. The top four teams in the conference tournament will receive first-round byes come the second week of March in Norfolk, Va.

Norfolk State (16-9, 9-1) enters the contest on a five-game winning streak, with their only conference loss coming to the reigning league champions, North Carolina Central. The Spartans have eked out close wins against fellow MEAC contenders, Howard and Hampton, in their most recent games. Norfolk State is led by the conference's leading scorer, Jeff Short. A transfer from Fordham, Short scores 19.5 points per game, over a point more per contest than the next closest scorer in the MEAC.

The Hawks and Spartans last played in the 2014 MEAC conference tournament, in the 4-13 matchup. As the underdog, UMES showed incredible fight, erasing a 17-point halftime deficit to tie the game. However, Norfolk State held on for a 78-74 final, giving the Spartans their 23rd win in the last 25 meetings between the two schools. In last year's meeting, bench guard Mark Blackmon scored 13 points, his career-high to date.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in Norfolk, Va. following the conclusion of the women's basketball game. Hawk fans can listen live to the Hawks Radio Network, powered by SFMSports.net and Fox Sports 960 AM in Salisbury, Md. Doug Newton will have the call for both games of the doubleheader at Echols Hall.