PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team travels to Norfolk, Virginia to open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Saturday, January 7. The Hawks go to battle with the back-to-back conference champion Norfolk State Spartans at 4 p.m.
UMES enters on a four-game winning streak, the program's first since 2016. The Hawks have compiled a 7-7 overall record this season, serving as the team's best win percentage (.500) going into MEAC play since the 1995-96 season.
Norfolk State University opens conference play at the top of the standings, holding a 10-5 record leading up to Saturday's contest. The Spartans enter as winners of their last contest against Penn State Wilkes-Barre after dropping a road duel with Nevada on December 21.
Checking on the Hawks
Entering MEAC competition, Kevon Voyles leads a well-balanced Hawk offense averaging 12.1 points per contest. Voyles also averages three rebounds per game and recorded a career-best eight boards against Columbia earlier this year.
Nathaniel Pollard Jr. has provided the Hawks with a strong presence offensively, defensively and on the glass. He averages a team-high 7.8 boards per contest while ranking fourth in scoring at 9.1 points per game.
Pollard was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week on January 3 for his efforts against Columbia and St. Mary's College of Maryland. Over the two-game stretch, Pollard brought down 20 rebounds, nabbed six steals and blocked five shots, all while scoring 26 points.
Da'Shawn Phillip and Zion Styles rank second and third on the team in scoring, posting averages of 10.6 and 10.4 points respectively. Phillip leads the team in three-point attempts, shooting just under 40 percent on those looks.
Styles has drawn the most contact, shooting just under 80 percent on his team-high 49 trips to the line. He also ranks second in rebounding on the team.
Ahamadou Fofana has been a steady presence at the point for the Hawks, leading the team in minutes while averaging 6.7 points and 2.4 assists per contest. Fofana also ranks third on the team with 20 steals this season.
Tuka Nugent and Jojo Anderson have helped boost the Hawk backcourt off the bench this season. The pair have combined for 46 assists and 29 turnovers, a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, while also collecting 20 steals.
The team continues to steal the basketball at one of the highest rates in the nation. As of January 6, the Hawks are tied for eighth in the country swiping 10.4 possessions per contest. UMES has posted eight double-digit steal efforts thus far and set their new season-best with 19 steals at home against St. Mary's on January 2.
"We did some incredible things in the non-conference," Hawks coach Jason Crafton said. "Now it's time for league play where it matters the most."
Scouting the Spartans
The Spartans were tabbed the preseason favorites to win the MEAC for the third consecutive season, receiving 15 out of 16 first-place votes. Three of Norfolk's five defeats on the year have come to top-10 teams in Baylor, UCLA, and Houston.
The Spartan attack is led primarily by fifth-year guard Joe Bryant Jr. and graduate forward Kris Bankston.
Bryant leads all Spartan scorers, averaging 16.3 points and shooting 41.7 percent from the field on the year. Bryant also averages 3.5 assists per game and leads the team in steals (23).
Bankston, who averages just under 14 points, has complimented Bryant's volume scoring with efficiency. As of January 6, Bankston ranks fourth in the nation shooting at a 71.3 percent clip from the field.
Bankston is also the team's leading rebounder, cleaning the glass 6.6 times per game.
"We're expecting a scrappy and physical game," Crafton said. "We will be ready."
Saturday's matchup will serve as the second half of a twin bill at Echols Memorial Hall, with the Hawk women's squad facing Norfolk at 2 p.m.
