BALTIMORE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team completed the season series sweep over Coppin State on Saturday, February 25, knocking off the Eagles by a 78-57 final.
The win allowed the Hawks (16-11, 8-4 MEAC) to stay above North Carolina Central in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings. Coppin State (7-22, 2-10 MEAC) holds seventh in the league standings.
The Hawks found themselves in an early hole, falling behind 19-4 in the opening eight minutes. UMES responded quickly and soon rattled off one of their most dominant runs of the season.
"Slow start, but we have an extremely resilient group that clawed back and took the momentum," Hawks coach Jason Crafton said.
Throughout the final eight minutes of the first half, the Hawks used runs of 12 straight and 16 straight to turn the game on its head. UMES led by as much as 13 in the half and went into halftime boasting a 38-27 advantage.
UMES came out of the locker room with more of the same energy, opening the second period on a 14-2 run. The teams split the next five minutes of play 9-9 to give the Hawks a 61-42 lead with 7:15 to go.
Fouls and free throws slowed the game down the stretch. The Hawks outscored Coppin 17-15 over the final six minutes to put a bow on the win.
Tuka Nugent led the Hawk scoring effort, posting a game-high 21 points and sinking four threes. Zion Styles added 15 points and six rebounds, while Chace Davis added 13 points with three makes from beyond the arc and a team-best seven rebounds.
Troy Hupstead added 11 points and five boards as a reserve. Nathaniel Pollard Jr. scored seven and collected five rebounds, while Da'Shawn Phillip dished out a team-high six assists and scored four. Dionte Johnson led the team in steals, swiping four possessions on the night.
"We got huge bench efforts from Nugent and Hupstead as we battled foul trouble all game," Crafton said. "Phillip didn't have a great shooting night, but he made great passing decisions."
The Hawk defense piled up 11 steals and forced 16 turnovers on the night while holding Coppin to shooting clips of 35.8 percent from the field and 22.7 percent from three.
UMES shot nearly 43 percent from the floor, hit 10 threes and sank 22 of their 31 shots from the free throw line. The team outrebounded Coppin 39-34 as well.
"Our team effort on the glass was impressive," Crafton said. "Now it's time to turn the page and honor our eight seniors on Monday for Senior Night."
The Hawks will recognize their eight seniors and graduate students on Monday evening (February 27) before facing off against Morgan State at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at https://vivenu.com/event/women-men-vs-morgan-state-r2i5.
