The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) put together a strong second half against Columbia University, but unfortunately the hole dug in the first half proved to deep.

The Hawks (3-14, 0-2 MEAC) trailed 44-36 at the half, but came out with intensity after the break especially on the defensive end, where they held the Lions (10-6) scoreless for the first 8:07 of the second half.

UMES held the lead 67-64 with 3:53 to go, but was outscored 14-10 for the rest of the game and fell 81-75.

"We couldn't get that stop that we needed and they got to the free throw line," coach Bobby Collins said. "This is a very good shooting team and they hit every big shot down the stretch that they needed to hit."

The big three of Devin Martin (21), Dominique Elliott (21) and Bakari Copeland (19) combined for 61 of the team's 75 points. Martin added nine rebounds, while Elliott had six. The Hawks shot 50 percent from the floor for the game.

Copeland did all his damage in just 25 minutes on the court after getting into early foul trouble.

"We are starting to understand the system and they are definitely buying in," Collins said. "But we have got to play at this level every night. Consistency has been our problem."

The Hawks shot 52 percent in the second half and held the Lions to just 38 percent from the field after the break. But Columbia made 3-of-4 in the final 3:53 and was 7-for-7 from the line over the same time.

"It definitely was a team effort tonight," Collins said. "I felt like the bench came in and gave us some valuable minutes defensively, but we just couldn't get the stops down the stretch that we really needed to win the game."

Points in the paint were even (22-22) as well as points off turnovers (11-11). The Lions held a 28-25 advantage in rebounding and a 9-12 edge in turnovers. But UMES won the battle on the glass in the second half 14-11 after a tough first half.

The Hawks will return home Jan. 11 for a men's and women's doubleheader against Morgan State.

"We can't let up," Collins said. "We have got a hungry Morgan team coming in next week. We have got to get prepared for them. I'm just pleased that we gave ourselves a chance to win the game."

All games can be heard locally on Fox Sports Radio 960 AM WTGM or on www.umeshawks.com. Brendan Gulick and David Byrd will have the call at home against the Bears on the Hawks Sports Radio Network.