PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team hosts the Lions of Bryn Athyn College on Saturday, November 12. The contest, which tips at 4 p.m. just after the women's game, coincides with the University's Homecoming traditions.
The doubleheader is one of many events that have filled HawkMania, running from Sunday, November 6 through the end of the weekend on November 13.
"Homecoming is a great time to see our alums and engage with our student body and administration," head coach Jason Crafton said. "This is always a fun game to be in, as the crowds are always great."
Last Time Out
The Hawks opened the season on the road, falling to Old Dominion by a score of 84-65 on Monday, November 7.
UMES hung with the Monarchs throughout the first half, going into the break trailing 40-33. Fouls racked up early, with the Hawks sending ODU to the charity stripe 11 times in the opening period.
Several big runs distanced the hosts from the Hawks down the stretch. Old Dominion retook the floor after the intermission and promptly went on an 11-6 run to open the half.
After a 7-0 UMES run, the Monarchs scored 10 unanswered to add to the margin. The teams went blow-for-blow down the stretch, but UMES could not close the gap late.
Rebounds proved to be a major factor, with ODU outrebounding the Hawks 44-23 in the contest.
"I thought we guarded what they ran, we made some shots, we turned it over just 10 times versus an upper-level team," Crafton said following the Old Dominion game, "but we just didn't get the job done rebounding the basketball."
Zion Styles scored a team-high 18 points despite playing just 19 minutes after getting into foul trouble early. Nathaniel Pollard, Jr. was close behind with 16 points and six boards.
Learning the Lions
The Bryn Athyn College men's basketball squad makes its season debut at The Hytche on Saturday.
Under head coach Sean Westerlund, the Lions made strides last season. The team broke 15 program records and led the Colonial States Athletic Conference in scoring, assists, steals, three-pointers made, free throw percentage and turnover margin.
The program's 7-18 record last season also marked the third-highest win total in team history.
Sophomore guard Jamal Cannady, Jr. looks to be a standout once again for the Lions. Last season, Cannady ranked third among all Division-III freshmen in scoring and was the first player in program history to be named to a D3Hoops.com Team of the Week.
The Lions averaged 77.2 points a year ago, in large part due to the offensive ideology Westerlund installed after his time as an assistant at Hood College. Bryn Athyn led the CSAC with nearly 700 three-point attempts last season, finishing second in made-threes as well.
Despite this uptick on offense, the Lions allowed over 80 points per contest during the 2021-22 campaign. They averaged nearly 17 turnovers per game and held a rebound margin of -6.6 on the year.
Last Time We Met
The lone meeting between the Hawks and the Lions came on November 13, 2021. The Hawks soared past Bryn Athyn, taking the game by a score of 91-42.
Styles led the scoring effort for the Hawks, tallying 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes played.
Cannady, Jr. scored a team-high 17 points for Bryn Athyn in the effort, collecting four rebounds and four steals in the loss as well.
UMES locked the contest down, holding the Lions to a stingy 15-of-58 shooting clip (25.9%) in the game.
The Hawks will look to improve on their performance in the opener against the Monarchs, both in cleaning up the glass and on the offensive side of the ball.
"We need to show a better team effort rebounding the ball after getting out-rebounded against ODU," Crafton said. "That's our emphasis, along with improving our execution on offense against a Bryn Athyn team that's showed a lot of improvement over the years."
Both the men's and women's contests will be streamed on Facebook Live, with the women tipping off at 2 p.m. and the men's game to follow.
