CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Playing against a Power 5 opponent for the second time in three days as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team paid a visit to the University of Virginia out of the ACC.
 
"I can't be more proud of our team," says head coach Fred Batchelor. "We are going to get there. It's going to be some tough growing pains to get there. They fought hard in what is like a David and Goliath situation in that I do not think we showed any type of bowing down to."
 
The Hawks opened the game on a 6-0 run forcing the Cavaliers to take a time out with 8:06 left in the first quarter. Chaniqwa Gilliam grabbed a pair of rebounds scored on an offensive putback and assisted on the opening bucket by Ashanti Lynch.
 
The Cavaliers would take their first led with a three pointer by Edessa Noyan with 2:21 left in the first quarter, 10-8. UMES and the Cavs traded baskets in the final two minutes with the Hoos leading 14-10 after the first 10 minutes of action.
 
Four fouls and a pair of turnovers in the first 5:09 of the second quarter by the Hawks allowed the Cavaliers to extend their lead to 26-19 with 4:51 before halftime. Cold shooting including just 1 for the final 12 attempts of the half and a scoring drought of nearly three minutes allowed UVA to push their lead to 35-22 at the break.
 
UMES took their first free throws of the game at 8:41 of the third quarter with Lynch making a pair to cut into the Cavalier lead. The free throws were part of a 7-2 run in the first five minutes of the of the second half that saw the Hawks cut the lead down to nine before a media timeout at 4:53.
 
Cold shooting returned in the third quarter, much like the Georgetown game, with UMES going on a scoring drought from 7:04 in the period until Gilliam made a three-pointer with 2:57 left. The Hawks then went on a quick 5-0 to cut the Cavs lead back down to 13 with 2:26 left in the third quarter. The teams traded  runs with the Cavs going on 6-0 and answered by a 5-0 run by UMES that saw UVA lead 50-36 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Baskets by Ariana Seawell and Zamara Haynes coupled with a pair of offensive charges by UVA saw the Cavaliers lead dwindle down to 10, forcing a timeout by the home team with 8:21 left in the game. UVA would go on a scoring run and close out the game 76-52.
 
"This is just an opportunity to get better," added Batchelor. "I think if we continue to show the character that we have show on this road trip, it will show what these ladies are made of."
 
UMES was led by Haynes' 12 points while eight different Hawks scored at least four points. All nine UMES players who saw the court recorded a rebound, led by Haynes and Lainey Allen's five each.
 
UVA was led by Camryn Taylor's 22 points and Jillian Brown's 10 rebounds. Yonta Vaughn dished out eight assists for the Cavaliers.
 
The Hawks host Washington Adventist in the home-opener on Saturday.
 
"We are going to get some rest," Batchelor mentioned. "They played one of our conference opponents already to a two-point game. So we know we will have our hands full at home."