PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team got the job done at home on Tuesday, November 22, besting Marist College 70-59 at the Hytche.
The plan coming in was to limit Marist's top scorer and prevent the Red Fox offense from getting open looks from beyond the arc. The Hawks did just that, keeping the opposition below 60 points and holding them to a stingy 6-of-27 three-point clip.
"I was excited to see our guys follow the game plan and execute versus a MAAC-level team," head coach Jason Crafton said. "It's not just a great win for our program, but a great win for our league. Any time we go against teams from what many consider an upper-level conference, it's always good to get a win and take care of business at home."
Through eight minutes, the Hawks trailed Marist 15-12. The hosts controlled the next eight, embarking on a 22-4 run to establish a 34-19 advantage.
The Red Foxes cut the lead to seven at the break, with the Hawks leading 38-31.
UMES came out of the locker room ready, opening the second with a 9-1 run. Marist responded with a short run of their own, courtesy of four free throws, before a pair of threes from Kohen Thompson and Da'Shawn Phillip swung the pendulum back in favor of the Hawks.
The offense never lost steam in the second half, able to keep the Red Foxes at arm's length and lock up the win.
Nathaniel Pollard, Jr. finished with a career-high 20 points, as well as eight rebounds and a pair of assists. Da'Shawn Phillip ended with 15 points, four boards, two assists, a block and a steal.
Chace Davis knocked down a pair of threes on his way to 10 points on the night. Zion Styles battled through foul trouble to post eight points and three rebounds, while point-man Ahamadou Fofana finished with seven points, four assists and four steals.
"Excited about Nate Pollard having back-to-back games where he gave us a lot of points and rebounds at the same time," Crafton said. "I thought Ahamadou Fofana did a great job running the show, and Chace Davis found some good shots, made two big threes in clutch moments."
"Our utility guy, Da'Shawn Phillip, did a lot of things for us and made some timely threes as well. A lot of guys stepped up in a situation where we had foul trouble we were dealing with and we had some lineups out there that had not played together."
After seeing glimpses of the tenacity he wants from his team against George Washington, Crafton thinks his team took another step toward showing it consistently against Marist.
"It starts with rebounding the basketball, and we went +8 on the backboard against a very big basketball team," Crafton said. "I was pleased at that, that's one of the tenacious things we want to see. For us to be able to compete at the highest level and do what we want to do in conference play, we've got to keep striving to find ways to do it for 40 minutes."
The Hawks will spend their Thanksgiving break on the road, traveling to face the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Friday, November 25. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.
