Hawks top Cairn in home opener, 83-65

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks grabbed their first win of the year with a 83-65 victory over Cairn in Saturday afternoon's home opener.


"We will take this win and learn from it. We have to be better in all phases," UMES head coach Jason Crafton said. "We had some positive moments throughout the game. I thought some guys took advantage of playing opportunities today. As we move forward, it is about playing 40 full minutes of basketball on both ends of the floor."


In a first half which had 12 UMES players see action, Crafton's Hawks were in control early on. UMES went on a 10-0 run in the middle stages of the half to stretch their lead to as many as 16 before going into the break with a 45-32 edge.


The Hawks gradually built their lead up to as many as 21 with 14:40 remaining in the second half thanks to another 10-0 scoring sequence and cruised to the eventually 18-point win.


In the victory, the Hawks combined to shoot 43.5% from the field (30-69) while making 16 of 18 free throws attempts (88.9%). Playing in his first home game as Hawk, Devon Ellis led UMES scorers with 16 points to go along with eight rebounds. Chace Davis scored nine points in the second half to finish with 12 to go with three assists and three steals. Forward Troy Hupstead finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. 


The Highlander duo of Derian Bradford and Aytor Alberto did most of the scoring for Cairn as each player finished with 19 points.


"We are going to continue to find ways to improve heading into Wednesday's game against Longwood," Crafton says. "We have the execute consistently and play better on defense. As we move forward, we will adjust and find the right rotations to produce more consistently."


The Hawks host Longwood on Wednesday.