PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team dropped their final game of the regular season on Thursday evening (March 5) to the Coppin State University Eagles. CSU won the game 63-60.
"They did a good job defensively using their size and athleticism," Hawks coach Jason Crafton said. "I thought that we played a little too much one-on-one in spots which is what they want you to do, so I credit them for sticking to their game plan for 40 minutes."
The Eagles got out to a 19-10 lead in the first half after nine minutes had been played. Eastern Shore responded by going on a 12-5 run to put them down just two at 24-22 following a layup from Ahmad Frost (Cincinnati, Ohio). Coppin State would get two free throws after that and take a 26-22 lead into halftime.
When play resumed, the Eagles were able to extend their lead to eight in the opening minutes. The Hawks slowly clawed their way back into the game and got a 3-pointer from Glen Anderson (Harlem, New York) to bring the squad within one at 42-41 with 10:09 left.
Maryland Eastern Shore would not score for the next five minutes. The biggest blow that came during that time period was when the team's leading scorer AJ Cheeseman (Snellville, Georgia) fouled out with 6:38 remaining. He had just two points in 15 minutes of play as he battled foul trouble all game.
With 30 seconds left, The Shore trailed 61-51 and began a late rally. Da'Shawn Phillip (Baltimore, Maryland) hit a shot from three point range. After a free throw from the Eagles, Phillip hit another three to bring the score to 62-57 with 13 seconds remaining.
Coppin State split another pair of free throws and Frost knocked down another three from the right corner to make the score 63-60. The Hawks fouled CSU with 2.8 seconds left. The Eagles missed both free throws, but Phillip's last second heave fell short and the visitors escaped with a win.
Four players were in double figures for Eastern Shore. Frost had 14, Phillip finished with 13, Canaan Bartley (Miami, Florida) poured in 11 and Walter Prevost (Houston, Texas) added 10.
Brendan Medley-Bacon led the Coppin State attack with 20 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. Kamar McKnight scored 17 points off the bench for the Eagles.
The next game for the Hawks will be on Tuesday (March 10) at 6 p.m. inside Scope Arena in Norfolk. That game will be the first round of the MEAC Tournament.
