PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore picked up its third straight win on Wednesday (Feb. 22) night against visiting Coppin State behind 17 points by freshman Ja'la Bannerman (Baltimore, Maryland) and a strong overall team effort.

Three other Hawks reached double digits in scoring, but it was on the defensive end where the team earned the victory, holding the Eagles to 20% from the field in the third quarter and just 14% in the decisive fourth.

"I thought the way we played was a little flat early, but the way we played defensively really kept us in it," Hawks coach Fred Batchelor said. "I thought JB played a great game and hit some big free throws. For a freshman to play 33 minutes like that, including the whole second half is big."

The Hawks trailed by as many as five points early on, but took their first lead at the  3:06 mark of the first quarter on a pair of free throws by Bannerman. They lost the lead with five minutes to go in the second quarter and trailed 38-33 at the half.

"We had to struggle through it, but I thought we found a way and we found a rhythm at some point," Batchelor said.

UMES (8-17, 4-7 MEAC) just stayed close, chipping slowly away at the Coppin advantage until a big defensive series in the third quarter. With 3:57 left in the third and the Hawks trailing 44-43 coming out of a Coppin State timeout, Ariana Seawell The Bronx, New York) picked up a steal and Mahogany Lester (Virginia Beach, Virginia) scored for the team;s first lead of the second half.

A steal by Zamara Haynes (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and a bucket by Seawell pushed the UMES advantage to 47-44. The Eagles would cut the lead to one a few moments later, but the Hawks scored four unanswered and never looked back.

Haynes finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Mya Thomas (Chesapeake, Virginia) turned in a second consecutive game where she rose to the challenge in big moments. The senior had struggled through the middle part of the season, but shook it off against N.C. Central with 18 points and added 12 points, a pair of rebounds and a steal in the win.

"Mya was big again," Batchelor said. "She told me tonight 'I'm back' and I said 'that's good because I have been waiting.'"

Lester finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, an assist and a pair of steals.

"She provided us with a lot of energy, especially going after some of the second shots and grabbing defensive rebounds to get us going," Batchelor said. "I thought we needed that and she provided it."

The Hawks shot 40% from the field, 36% form behind the arc and had another stellar day at the line converting 17-of-20 (85%). Bannerman was 12-of-13 from the free throw line including 7-for-7 in the fourth quarter to help close it out.

"I'm proud of them," Batchelor said. "I'm happy for them. They worked really hard and they are learning how to win. Sometimes it's not pretty. Sometimes you have to persevere through emotional growth and maturity. That's what I thought they did tonight in a game I thought could have gone either way. I thought we just showed a little more resiliency."

The Hawks will next travel to Coppin for a 2 p.m. matchup on Saturday (Feb. 25).