SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - It took a day, but the switch was flipped and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team adjusted to the international game enough to fly past the host country, topping the Costa Rican National Team 67-48 in the second game of Maryland Eastern Shore's foreign tour.

"Today we were ready to play more physically, the officiating is different here than at home, so we were ready to create contact and be aggressive," said senior guard Keyera Eaton (Winston-Salem, N.C.)."The physicality was the hardest to adjust to. We usually get more calls and had to play through a lot of stuff, but we managed to work through it."

The Hawks were certainly the aggressor in their second game in as many days. They forced 15 turnovers and grabbed 12 steals, which along with a 42-24 rebounding advantage, led the Hawks to post 38 fast-break points.

"I thought we were much more prepared tonight to play the international game," head coach Fred Batchelor said. "Ottawa (the first night's opponent) took advantage of our inexperience playing this style of basketball. I think we were mentally ready and prepared to play international basketball tonight."

Dominique Walker (Bel Air, Maryland)led all scorers with 14 points as she out muscled the Costa Ricans on many occasions, going to the basket, drawing contact and often finishing through it. Ksenia Popovic (Moscow, Russia)had the most experience playing the FIBA rules and after shaking out the cobwebs in game one, turned in a stellar game two with 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Newcomer Adrienne Jones made her presence known as well, posting five boards and seven points in just under 22 minutes of action.

"The hardest thing to adjust to about the international game was the shot clock," said Jones. "I think playing this way can help us to adjust later this season if we need to speed up the game, get more aggressive or just put up more shots."

The Hawks got a lot better looks at the basket on day two as well, shooting a blistering 50 percent from the floor, including 38 points in the paint — more than half of their scoring output.

"I think being in the gym two hours before we played with nothing to do, but shoot certainly didn't hurt us. And that is something I talked to the team about, preparation and the results it can produce," Batchelor said.

Costa Rica arrived late to the gym because of some scheduling issues with the National Team — which was informed of an 8 p.m. start as opposed the to the scheduled 6 p.m. start the Hawks, officials and even table staff were expecting.

"I think though a lot of our sharp shooting can be related to comfort," Batchelor said. "We had a better understanding of how the game was going to be played, officiated and the physicality of play. When you are mentally prepared, it leads to better shooting."

The Hawks led by as many as 26 points in the game and trailed for less than four minutes of game time. They finished the first quarter up just four, 18-14, but poured it on in the second quarter, outscoring Costa Rica by a 25-8 margin to carry a 43-22 lead into the break.

The home team found the basket more frequently in the third quarter, turning the tables on the Hawks and outscoring them 16-7. But as the game wound down and the Hawks could feel a W coming, they extended their lead in the fourth quarter by seven and pushed the final score to a 19 point win, 67-48.

"I think this trip is showing us how to deal with adversity," said senior guard Ciani Byrom (Winston-Salem, North Carolina). "The playing rules are different, time is different and the Costa Rican people's lives are different and they face all kinds of hardships. If we learn how to face adversity ourselves, then our team will be stronger when the season comes."

The start of the season is just around the corner and now with a couple of international games under their belts, the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore just might be prepared for the adversity the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) season will bring.

The Hawks head out Tuesday for Los Suenos on the coast of the Pacific Ocean for some team bonding activities, including visits to the local wildlife preserves and rain forests, horseback riding and zip-lining.