DURHAM, North Carolina — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team used three steals to fuel an 8-0 run in the final 90 seconds to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, shocking North Carolina Central in a 59-58 final at McDougald-McLendon Arena on Monday night.
The Hawks have now won four straight in league play, moving to 11-8 overall and 4-1 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference action. The loss drops the Eagles to 10-9 on the year and 3-2 in conference.
After a low-scoring first half for both sides, the Hawks found themselves in a 16-point hole with just under 12 minutes left in the ballgame. UMES deployed a 10-0 run to bring the gap down to six with 9:23 to play.
The Eagles fended off any further rallies from the Hawks over the next five minutes as they led 54-45 with just over four minutes to go. UMES cut the gap to five, but a made jumper with 1:32 left gave Central a seven-point advantage.
The Eagles held the score there for 41 seconds before Zion Styles poked the ball free, stepped back into the corner and rattled home a three to slice the deficit to four, 58-54.
Out of a N.C. Central timeout, Tuka Nugent secured his sixth steal of the contest and Nathaniel Pollard Jr. finished down low. With 28 seconds remaining, the NCCU lead was down to just two.
The Hawks fouled, sending the Eagles to the line for a one-and-one chance. The free throw was missed, the ball careened out of play and it was ruled to be last touched by UMES.
Then, it happened.
With just 24 seconds remaining, the Eagles attempted to launch the ball into the backcourt off the inbound, hoping to avoid the Hawk pressure. But Da'Shawn Phillip was there.
Phillip stuck one hand up and plucked the ball from mid-air, powered his way to the cup and finished through the foul to tie the game. His clutch free throw gave the Hawks the only lead they needed on the night.
"I thought we did an amazing job of clawing back in the final 10 minutes to gut out an incredible road win," Hawks coach Jason Crafton said.
Styles and Nugent led the Hawk offense, each scoring 13 points on the night. The duo also combined for six rebounds and nine steals in the last-second effort.
Pollard's nine points ranked third on the team, while his nine boards paced the squad. Seven of Pollard's nine rebounds were on the offensive end.
In addition to scoring the winner, Phillip tallied eight points in the win and added four rebounds.
"Tuka Nugent's steals and Da'Shawn Phillip's clutch finish and free throw to win it obviously stand out, but we had contributions from all over tonight," Crafton said. "Zion Styles attacked the basket well for us with consistency while Nate Pollard's rebounding was huge."
The Hawks made 13 trips to the free-throw line in the second half, cashing in on 12. They also outscored the Eagles 39-25 in the final 20 minutes.
The UMES defense created chaos as they have all year, collecting 12 steals and forcing 24 turnovers. The Hawks rank top-20 in the nation in both of those categories.
"We forced 24 turnovers and that gave us the ability to get in transition and score some easy baskets," Crafton said.
The Hawks will return to the nest and prepare for a home duel with Coppin State on Saturday, January 28 at 4 p.m. The game will follow the 2 p.m. contest between the women's squads.
