PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — After a back and forth first half, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team could not recover from an early run from the University of Delaware Blue Hens in the second half and eventually fell to the Blue Hens 71-62 Friday night (Nov. 30).

After multiple ties and lead changes in the first 18 minutes of play, Delaware was able to score the last five points in the first half to take a 29-27 lead into the locker room. The Blue Hens continued that run into the second half by opening the half on an 11-2 run to increase their lead to double digits and keep the Hawks at bay for the rest of the game.

"We lost momentum going into the half and they came out and jumped on us in the second half," head coach Clifford Reed said. "The way they closed the half out and started the second half the same way is what good teams do and we are emerging and evolving to get to that point."

Delaware jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the game, but the Hawks quickly turned things around. Forward AJ Cheeseman (Snellville, GA) was the catalyst of the turnaround as he had a strong first half by scoring 14 of his team high 16 points before the half.

The Hawks got their first lead of the game at the 8:02 mark of the first half when a Montraz Oliver (Princess Anne, MD) 3-pointer made the score 17-15. The Shore got their lead up to as many as five before surrendering it with 31 seconds left in the half.

While Cheeseman was neutralized in the second half, point guard Bryan Urrutia (Chihuahua, Mexico) became aggressive and scored 13 of his 15 points after the half to keep the Hawks within striking distance. He also finished with six assists and three steals.

"Bryan is the consummate point guard as he is a pass first guy," Reed said. "But at times we need him to be aggressive to stay involved because that will be important for us once we get into league play."

Guard Ryan Andino (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) also finished in double figures for the Hawks with 12 points. Redshirt junior Dontae Caldwell (Santa Ana, CA) finished tied with Cheeseman for the team high in rebounds with five.

The Blue Hens saw four players reach double figures. Ithiel Horton had a game high 17 points, while Eric Carter had a double-double finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Delaware.

Maryland Eastern Shore will be on the road this weekend to play East Carolina on Sunday, Dec. 2. This will be a quick turnaround for the Hawks before they have a week and a half off before their next contest against Duquesne on Dec. 13.

"This schedule is the nature of the beast in college basketball when you are a mid-major team," Reed said. "But if you are going to win championship you need face this type of adversity and learn to be mentally tough."i

For more information on Eastern Shore Athletics visit http://www.easternshorehawks.com/.