Hawks drop season opener to Temple

 
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team dropped its season-opener on the road to Temple, 85-65, on Monday night.

 
Entering Monday with a revamped roster including an all new starting lineup from a year ago, the Hawks managed to battle back from an early 19-point deficit as a 7-0 run late the half capped by a Devon Ellis lay-in brought UMES with 10. The Owls knocked down two free throws in the final seconds of the half to go into the break with a 12-point lead.

 
"We gave ourselves a chance in the first half," Hawk head coach Jason Crafton said. "It took some of our guys a while to settle into the game, but I thought we showed some aggressiveness and made some good plays in the late stages of the first half. We wanted to do a better job of shot selection, making free throws, decision making and overall execution in the second half but we did not do a good enough job in those areas. We will learn from tonight's game and continue to get better."

 
The Hawks opened the scoring in the second half with a Troy Hupstead jumper but the Owls responded with a 10-0 run over a two-minute span to extend the lead to 20. The Hawks never recovered from that point on as the Owl lead ballooned to as many as 31.

 
The Hawks went on a 13-2 run at the end of the game before eventually falling by the 20-point deficit.
 

"We have a lot of new guys in new roles and I was proud of the way we played for a full 40 minutes. Chace Davis made some plays for us offensively and was aggressive. I thought Troy Hupstead showed toughness and provided a rebounding presence while newcomer Devon Ellis showed his versatility as a bigger guard. Damani Claxton came off the bench and had some positive moments," Crafton said. "While our level of effort was there tonight, we have to continue to get better in every aspect of the game. With so many new players, our mindset to simply get better and create an identity as we move forward throughout this season."

 
Davis led the Hawks offensively with 15 points. Ellis had 11 points and five rebounds in his Hawk debut. Claxton finished with 10 points and four assists while Hupstead grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with eight points.
 
 
Hysier Miller led Temple scorers with 17 points. Jahlil White recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds to go along with five assists.

 
The Owls were efficient from the free throw line with a 27-for-30 performance (90%) while the Hawks made 14 of 24 attempts (58.3%).

 
The Hawks will have the rest of the week to prepare for Saturday's home opener against Cairn University.

 
"In addition to Saturday's home game, I am excited about the way our schedule is laid out so we can focus on making corrections and getting healthy without having to navigate any significant travel," SAYS Crafton. "These next few weeks will be important for us as a team as we continue non-conference play."

 
Saturday's game against Cairn is the first of three straight Hawk home games. UMES hosts Longwood on November 15 and Pennsylvania on November 18 before going on the road to play at Notre Dame on November 22.