PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball showed that they were happy to be home for a game after five straight on the road on Wednesday night (December 8) when they defeated the Clarks Summit University Defenders 102-58.
Wednesday night was the first time Maryland Eastern Shore has scored in triple digits since February 20, 2017, when they defeated North Carolina A&T 106-95 in triple overtime. The last time the squad scored over 100 in regulation was on December 22, 2015, in a 115-86 victory over Central Penn.
"I thought our guys really shared the ball and we made shots," head coach Jason Crafton said. "It was great to see the home crowd after being on the road for so long. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday."
The Hawks got off to a quick start by scoring the first seven points of the game. They would eventually build their lead to 21 as a jumper from freshman Chace Davis put the team up 27-6 after 11 minutes of game time.
Eastern Shore kept the lead above 20 until the Defenders got a layup at the 2:49 mark to make the score 38-19. Junior Dom London hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to put the lead back above 20. The Shore's advantage would never fall below 20 again in the game.
Senior Nathaniel Pollard, Jr. put the exclamation point on the first half with a layup with 54 seconds on the clock and a big dunk at the buzzer. The Hawks went into the locker room with a 45-19 lead.
After the break, senior Zion Styles got a steal and dunk 27 seconds into the half. 15 seconds later, junior Da'Shawn Phillip got a steal and passed it ahead for another Styles slam. Those two plays set the table for a 10-0 run to start the half.
Eastern Shore maintained their pressure defense from there and would get a steal and another dunk when London made the score 75-35 with 11:18 left. Six minutes later, Phillip gave the team their biggest lead of the game when they led by 48 with the score standing at 92-44.
The only question that remained in the final minutes of the contest was if the Hawks would get into triple digits. They finally did with 1:18 left via a free throw by senior Mike Mensah. Freshman Marko Milivojevic would get the final bucket of the game with 55 seconds remaining.
Pollard, Jr. recorded the team's first double-double of the season as he finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The last time a member of the Hawks had double digits in points and rebounds was on February 3, 2020, when Gabriel Gyamfi did it at Delaware State.
"Nate has been huge for us all year thus far and he came up big again tonight with a double-double effort," Crafton said. "We also got great contributions across the board from multiple guys."
The Shore had six players score in double figures. After Pollard's 19, Davis had 16, London finished with 15 and Styles had 12. Mensah and Phillip each had 10 points. The team also had a strong game on defense as they recorded 20 steals and forced 26 turnovers.
Maryland Eastern Shore will play their next game on Saturday (December 11) at home against St. Mary's College (Md.). The game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Hawks' women's game with UNC Greensboro that begins at 2 p.m.
