Box Score

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - In their best shooting performance of the season, Coach Fred Batchelor and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Women's Basketball team held on and defeated South Carolina State (SCSU), 63-56, inside the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

With the victory, UMES snapped its eight-game skid while ending droughts against the Lady Bulldogs in the process. The win broke SCSU's four-game strangle hold in the series and Maryland Eastern Shore picked up their first victory in Orangeburg in more than nine years.

UMES slowed down the tempo as they shot only 39 attempts, compared to the Lady Bulldogs' 55 opportunities. Despite the disparity, Maryland Eastern Shore shot over 56-percent (22-of-39) from the floor, including 75-percent (12-of-16) after intermission. As a result, they shot the second-highest shooting percentage since the 2002-03 season.

Guard Moengaroa Subritzky (Auckland, New Zealand) led the way, posting a new career-high 26 points. The New Zealand native was nearly perfect, shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from behind the arc. She nailed critical freebies down the stretch to clinch the win for the Lady Hawks.

Maryland Eastern Shore opened the second half on a 5-0 spurt, capped off by Subritzky's layup, and reclaimed the advantage, 29-28. UMES' lead was short-lived as SCSU's Jazzmine Johnson nailed a jumper and gave South Carolina State the lead back, 30-29.

Coach Batchelor's squad countered with back-to-back long balls from Subritzky and held a five-point advantage with seven left in the third. SCSU battled back, but the Lady Hawks took a one-point lead into the fourth, 40-39.

Subritzky drained another three moments into the final quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs responded and tied the contest, 43-43, with more than eight minutes left. UMES came back with an answered, scoring the next five points, including a long ball from TeAmber Burke (Washington, N.C.).

South Carolina State continued to fight, cutting the margin to a single-possession game on multiple occasions. Maryland Eastern Shore refused to let up as they extended their lead to seven, 55-48, with less than three to play. Towards the end, SCSU constantly fouled in hopes of UMES misses; however, the Lady Hawks made 8-of-9 freebies in the final 65 ticks to win, 63-56.

Other notable performances included Burke coming off the bench with 14 points on 50-percent (5-of-10) shooting from the floor. Fellow classmate Taryana Kelly (North Brunswick, N.J.) provided low-post presence and helped teammates get open looks. Overall, the club shot nearly 73-percent (8-of-11) from downtown. The New Jersey product finished with nine points, three boards, and a career-high three assists in the win.

Freshman guard Keyera Eaton (Winston-Salem, N.C.) scored the Lady Hawks' first four points and guided the ladies into a rhythm. With less than four minutes left in the opening quarter, SCSU's Ashleigh Outler tied the game, 9-9. A few minutes later, Outler scored the Lady Bulldogs' next five points and gave South Carolina State the early advantage, 14-13.

More than 30 seconds into the second period, Alexis Udoji (Randolph, Mass.) tied the contest, 14-14, on a freebie. For majority of the quarter, SCSU was in command and held their largest lead of the game, 28-19, with 2:21 remaining before halftime. Subritzky kept the Maroon & Gray in the contest as she tallied the final five points of the half, 28-24.

For the Lady Bulldogs, they scored 35 points off the bench. Outler had a team-high 15 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Brittany Drumgoole chipped in 14 points after 22 minutes of action.

The next two games feature conference matchups against Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M. On Jan. 23, UMES host the Wildcats for Take A Kid To The Game. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Two nights later (Jan. 25), Maryland Eastern Shore takes on the Rattlers. Game-time is slated for 5:30 p.m.

For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visitwww.umeshawks.com .