WASHINGTON, D.C. — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore will hit the court for the first time since taking over the No. 2 spot in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Standings when it faces off with Howard on Monday (Jan. 28) at 4 p.m.
The game, was originally scheduled for 5:30 p.m., but was moved when the men's half of the doubleheader was picked up to be broadcast on ESPNU.
The Hawks (10-10, 6-1) won the first meeting of the season against the Bison, 80-72, in Princess Anne, Maryland. Eastern Shore
"We are going to have to go a better job of rebounding," senior
Ra'Jean Martin (Jacksonville, Florida) said. "We didn't do so well last game. As long as we do that, this game should go our way. I also don't think we dictated anything early in that game at home. We allowed them to hit us first and we are supposed to hit first. With that being our home we are supposed to take charge."
The Hawks got themselves into a 10-points hole against the Bison at home after shooting 33 percent and allowing too many second chances. That hasn't been a problem in the last three games and The Shore has turned up the defensive effort. In wins at Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman and Norfolk State the team allowed an average of 43.7 points per game.
"It's been great," Martin said. "It has allowed us to make mistakes and make up for them because we are stopping them from scoring. We play for each other and we trust each other. If my girl beats me I trust that my teammate is going to pick her up. We are just playing different because we trust each other. That's what it came down to."
Sophomore
Bairesha Gill-Miles (Lexington, Kentucky) has been the emotional leader on the inside along with senior
Dominique Walker (Bel Air, Maryland), but Gill-Miles has bad to work to stay out of foul trouble playing against much larger opponents. She made it 35 minutes at Norfolk State with just one foul, while guarding one of the Spartan's best players.
"Coach Raikes talks to me a lot about matching energy," Gill-Miles said. "He was talking about how she is the motor of the team and if she gets going that is how their game plays out. I just tried to match her energy and help my team keep our energy up. I knew what we had to do in order to stop her and everyone else as well. I think that if we match anyone's energy we'll be all right on any given day."
She will need to find an energy match again at Howard against yet another bigger front line. But it all starts in the backcourt for the Hawks' defense.
Martin has had the responsibility of harassing key opponents and that has helped the entire defensive effort. Not only does the team feed off her energy, but it has affected the efficiency of the Hawks opponents as well.
"I always tell Bairesha that I have the front court and she's got the back court," Martin said. "It allows me to go harder especially when I know she is protecting the backfield for me. I tell her that before every game."
It has been a bit of a balancing act for the Hawks getting up for the games, but not overconfident in the eventual outcome. Going hard for 40 minutes — even with a lead — was something that the team had to develop. Heading into the game at Norfolk, that was front of mind.
"We actually talked about staying humble," Gill Miles said. "We knew that we had been playing good basketball. We knew what we had to do and how to go about it. We all felt like if we did that we would be able to beat them."
If they hawks are to maintain this momentum as they head toward a rematch at MEAC No. 1 North Carolina A&T State on Feb. 11, they will need to continue that balance.
The next step is to add the Bison to the recent list of frustrated opponents.
