Final Stats

LYNCHBURG, Virginia -

Another cold-shooting first half, coupled with serious foul trouble for all four post players, doomed Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball in a 71-49 loss to Liberty on Friday night at the Vines Center.

"I looked down on the bench and had no one to go to once we got into foul trouble," said Hawks head coach Bobby Collins after the game. "It was another game where we were out-manned, and there were some things we couldn't do because we just don't have the numbers.

"[Liberty] is a good basketball team, and a disciplined one. That's what I aspire for our team, and eventually we'll get there."

The Hawks (3-7) went down 3-0 on a Lovell Cabill three-pointer in the first minute, but back-to-back layups by Tyler Jones (Atlantic City, New Jersey) gave the visitors a brief 4-3 advantage. The Flames (7-3) tied it on a free throw from Isaiah Williams, then Ryan Kemrite's layup at the 16:13 mark made it 6-4. Liberty would never relinquish the lead again and went on an 11-0 run over the next four minutes to stretch it to 14-4.

Eastern Shore kept it within the low teens for the next five minutes. Logan McIntosh (Atlanta, Georgia) got it into single digits with a trey at the 7:04 mark to make it 22-14, and the teams traded a pair of free throws to produce a 24-16 score with 4:09 before the break.

The Flames then kicked it up a notch, closing the half on a 14-0 run to make it 38-16. The Shore would not score again until almost five minutes into the second half.

By the end of the first half, Jones and LeAndre Thomas each had three fouls, while Colen Gaynor and Miryne Thomas each had two. The Hawks closed the half with 6-3 McIntosh and Cameron Bacote as their tallest personnel on the floor.

The Hawks played even with Liberty in the second half, matching the Flames punch-for-punch for a 33-33 tie over the final 20 minutes.

"I'm proud that we did compete," said Collins. "We did not quit. We competed for all 40 minutes, we just didn't make our shots. It's hard to keep defending when you're not making shots."

McIntosh led all scorers with 18 points, including 15 in the second half. He added seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 36 minutes of work on the night.

Jones contributed 12 points and six rebounds, while Miryne Thomas had nine points and five boards.

Kemrite paced a balanced Liberty offensive attack, scoring 12 points. Caleb Homesley and Myo Baxter-Bell added 11 and 10 respectively off the bench. Six Flames scored at least eight points in the game.

The Hawks rebounded from a 6-for-25 first half to shoot 42 percent (10-for-24) in the second. The team missed just one free throw on the night, finishing 12-for-12 for a season-high 92.3 percent mark.

Eastern Shore is back in action on Sunday afternoon at Virginia Tech. Tip from Cassell Coliseum is set for 3 p.m. Sunday's game will be broadcast locally on flagship radio station Fox Sports 960 AM WTGM and online at EasternShoreHawks.com. Pregame coverage starts at 2:45 p.m. with Will DeBoer on the call for The Shore Sports Network.