PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team heads to Charm City on Saturday, February 25 to battle the Eagles of Coppin State University. Tip is slated for 4 p.m. from Baltimore.
The Hawks (15-11, 7-4 MEAC) dropped their last contest against North Carolina Central by a 68-63 final. Meanwhile, the Eagles (7-21, 2-9) pulled off a surprising 69-62 win over reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Norfolk State in their last contest.
Checking on the Hawks
It was a big night for Zion Styles against NCCU on Monday, February 20. The Uniondale, New York native scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed four steals to power a furious Hawk comeback that fell just a feather short.
The performance served to highlight a set of strong showings from Styles in league action. Since hosting Howard on January 9, Styles has scored double-digit points in nine of 11 games and has averaged nearly 14 points per game.
Styles was one of the top performers in the January 28 matchup against Coppin State, but Nathaniel Pollard Jr. took the bulk of the spotlight. The graduate forward poured in 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out six assists to spur the Hawks to a win.
Pollard remains one of the nation's top offensive glass-cleaners, ranking sixth in Division I hauling in 3.7 offensive rebounds per game.
The Hawks continue to boast one of the most disruptive defenses in the country. UMES ranks first in Division I in steals per game (10.8) while forcing the second-most turnovers a night (18.6). The unit also ranks second in the MEAC in scoring defense (66.7).
Scouting the Eagles
Redshirt sophomore guard Nendah Tarke was the engine in Coppin's victory over Norfolk on Monday night. Tarke scored 19 points and shot 8-of-12 from the floor in the win.
Redshirt senior Sam Sessoms ranked second in scoring with 17 points, but made just one shot from the floor. 15 of Sessoms' 17 points came from the charity stripe in the win.
Monday's win was the second of MEAC play for the Eagles, who had dropped nine consecutive games prior. Their last victory had come against South Carolina State in their MEAC opener on January 7.
Coppin State ranks sixth in the conference in scoring offense and seventh in scoring defense. The Eagles have made more three-point shots than any team in the league, but have also attempted the most in the conference.
The men's game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 2 p.m. women's contest as part of the normal conference doubleheader.
