PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The last time the University of Maryland Eastern Shore faced off with Coppin State it was an 86-57 loss that caused head coach Fred Batchelor to question both his expectations for this year's squad and his own preparation.
On Saturday (Feb. 26) at 2 p.m., the Hawks (9-14, 5-7 MEAC) get a second shot at an Eagles (10-14, 8-3 MEAC) team that has been the biggest surprise of this Mid-Easter Athletic Conference season.
"It is wild because I was just watching the tape and they looked like probably the best basketball I had seen a team play — particularly in the first 20 minutes — and we looked like the worst team," Batchelor said of the . "I thought the second half we came out and played better and gave ourselves a chance, but we were never really in the game. I thought that was on our end. I didn't think there was anything they did in particular, it was more about us. I thought they just played well."
The Hawks started the game with four straight misses and a turnover before they got any points on the board. It was five misses and two turnovers later that The Shore got on the board again. Eastern Shore trailed 20-9 after the first quarter and the Eagles pushed that advantage to 48-29 by the half.
After the break, the Hawks briefly played with renewed energy and took advantage of Coppin missteps to chip away at the advantage. The lead was 11 after just three minutes, but that was the hurdle The Shore couldn't clear. They would cut it to 11 three more times with the last coming with 48 ticks left in the third.
"I think their coach had done a better job of getting them ready for that day," Batchelor said. "Whereas I have now looked at the tape and watched and they were in a much better place. They were much more prepared for us than we were for them. Having not seen some of those kids on the team in two years and the addition of a few players we had never seen, it was like seeing a team for the first time."
The Hawks did get their first look at Coppin graduate transfer Jaia Alexander in that contest as she put up Alexander leads the MEAC in scoring with 15.8 points per game and second in rebounding with 7.6 per contest. The Eagles are averaging 70.7 points per game in MEAC play.
"I think we'll be much more prepared on Saturday and I think that will be the difference in the game along with us being able to score and put the ball in the basket early against a team that can score," Batchelor said. "We shot terribly in the first part of the game against them last time and they were all good shots. We just couldn't make a shot."
The Hawks offense has improved recently and with that have come the wins that have been elusive at times this season and they have won three of their last five with both losses coming against Norfolk State.
Over those five games, Amanda Carney (Old Bridge, New Jersey) leads the Hawks with 11.6 points per game to go with 4.4 rebounds off the bench, while freshman center Ariana Seawell (Bronx, New York) is putting up 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds.
In those games, senior Brooklyn Bailey (Rock Hill, South Carolina) has scored 9.0 per game and hit 11 3-pointers over that stretch, while Zamara Haynes (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is averaging 8.0 points, 2.2 assists and has gone to the free throw line a team-high 28 times.
Bairesha Gill-Miles (Lexington, Kentucky) has had a bit of a resurgence herself averaging 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists, but also playing the type of defense she had been known for in the past.
"To have the momentum at this point in the year is exactly where we want to be — coming off a road trip where we got two and then playing at home," Batchelor said. "Now we have to take advantage of that. We haven't really played our best basketball all year long and I think we are starting to come into our own at the right time, so I'm excited. Coming out of that Coppin game the first time I was very discouraged. But it's amazing how three or four weeks can change your attitude. I'm excited about playing against them and my goal is to get our team to play the most inspired basketball game they have played all year."
