PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team heads to Durham, North Carolina to face the Eagles of N.C. Central on Monday, January 23. The contest is slated for a 7:30 p.m. tip and will follow the women's contest beginning at 5:30.
The Hawks and Eagles enter their fifth Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game with parallel records this season. Each team sits at 10-8 overall, and the teams are two of five in the MEAC tied for first-place with 3-1 records in league play.
Checking on the Hawks
It was a big Saturday night for Kevon Voyles. He scored 27 points (a career-high and the most by any Hawk in a game this season), driving his average up to a team-high 12.8 in his 12 games since returning.
The well-balanced Hawk attack has two other players in double-digits, with Zion Styles averaging 10.8 and Da'Shawn Phillip tallying 10.4 points per contest. Nathaniel Pollard Jr. continues to serve as the Hawks primary paint presence, bringing down nearly eight rebounds per game while averaging just under nine points.
The Hawks one-upped themselves once again, putting together their best shooting performance of the season against the Bulldogs. UMES shot 29-of-51 from the floor, a nearly 57 percent clip that surpasses the previous high set against Howard on January 9.
After a 15-steal performance against South Carolina State, UMES now has double-digit steals in 11 of 18 contests this season. The Hawks jumped to fourth in the nation in steals-per-game, now averaging 10.6 with 191 pickpockets total.
The Hawks will look to be more careful with the ball against the Eagles on Monday after a season-high 22 turnovers against the Bulldogs. Saturday was just the second time the Hawks finished a game with 20+ turnovers this season.
"We want to continue getting better at executing versus pressure defense, which we will definitely see again," Hawks coach Jason Crafton said.
UMES still ranks 38th in Division I with a +3.1 turnover margin, largely due to forcing 17.5 turnovers per game (13th in the nation).
Scouting the Eagles
There is no shortage of similarities between this season's Hawks and Eagles. Like UMES, N.C. Central has yet to lose a game at McDougald-McLendon this season. The Eagles enter at 9-0 on their home floor.
The Eagles and Hawks have both won three straight MEAC matchups after dropping their openers. For UMES, it was a defeat to Norfolk State, while Central fell to Morgan State in their league opener.
The hosts rank second in the MEAC in scoring offense, tallying 77.8 points-per. Their 74-55 win over Delaware State last time out moved them to first in the conference in scoring defense, surrendering just under 67 points on average.
Central presents the threat of the three-ball as well, shooting nearly 39 percent from range as a team this season to lead the MEAC. However, UMES has allowed the lowest opponent three-point percentage in the conference this season at 31.1 percent.
Junior guard Justin Wright is the Eagles top scoring threat. Wright's 15.3 points-per-game leads Central, while his 44 percent shooting clip from range leads all Eagles with more than 15 attempts.
Redshirt senior big Kris Monroe and graduate center Brendan Medley-Bacon lead the way on the glass, averaging 5.7 and 5.4 boards, respectively. Senior guard Eric Boone headlines the hosts in assists (89) and steals (39).
"This is another game where a major key will be rebounding, as they are athletic and they have size," Crafton said.
