PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team was tied with the Norfolk State University Spartans at halftime in their home conference opener, but the visitors used a strong second half to pull away and defeat the Hawks 72-58 inside the William P. Hytche Center on Monday afternoon (January 17). The game was the first time the team has played since December 20 at Charlotte as three games were postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
"I thought we were pretty sharp the first 10 to 12 minutes as you saw us get out to an early lead," head coach Jason Crafton said. "I was really proud of the fight we showed in the first half and I like what we did in the second half to get in the bonus early, but we didn't take advantage of it."
In the first half, the Hawks grabbed a double digit lead after being behind early. They trailed 15-10 after seven minutes of play. Eastern Shore would then go on a 13-0 run over the next three minutes to hold a 23-15 advantage with 10:54 on the clock following a 3-pointer by junior Dom London.
The Shore kept the pressure on as they would eventually build their lead to 12 when junior Da'Shawn Phillip got a steal and fast break dunk to put the team up 32-20 with 5:48 left before halftime.
NSU would answer by scoring 14 of the next 16 points of the game to tie the score at 34 when the game went to halftime. The Hawks lone bucket in the final five minutes of the half came from a layup by senior Donchevell "Tuka" Nugent.
After halftime, both teams struggled from the field in the opening minutes. Each side had just one made field goal prior to the under 16:00 media timeout. The Shore held a 37-36 advantage at that time.
Following the break, Norfolk State began to get their offense going and would eventually build their lead to 51-42 with 11:35 on the clock. Eastern Shore would then begin to attack the basket and would score their next four points from the free throw line. After that, they got a steal by junior Zion Styles and he went coast to coast for an emphatic dunk in transition to bring the team within three at 51-48 with 9:58 left.
The Spartans were able to stave off the Hawks and would get their lead to double digits at the 5:31 mark after three made free throws made the score 63-51. The Hawks would not be able to get the lead back under double figures as NSU would keep them at bay to close the game.
The game served as a tale of two halves from the field for The Shore. They shot 45.2% in the first half, but shot 20.7% from the field after the break. They also struggled from behind the arc as they shot 20% from long distance in the game.
Local product Kevon Voyles scored 12 points to lead the Hawks in scoring. Nugent followed him with 10 points off the bench. Voyles also pulled down a career-high seven rebounds in the game.
"It was good to see Tuka make some shots and that production off the bench is great," Crafton said. "Also, Kevon had a great four weeks of skill development, watching film and taking advantage of the time we had off, so I like what he did today."
Eastern Shore will play their next game on Saturday (January 22) as they host South Carolina State. The game will be at 4 p.m.
