Hawks erase 14-point second half deficit to beat Morgan State


SUMMARY: 

The Hawks erased a 14-point second half deficit to beat Morgan State, 75-74, in the opening game of MEAC play on Saturday.

 
RESULT:

Morgan State Bears (4-13; 0-1) - 74
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (4-9; 1-0) - 75
Locations: Hytche Center | Princess Anne, Maryland
 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Playing in the first game of MEAC play, Morgan State led by as many as five in the first half before taking a 34-32 lead into the break.
With the score tied, 46-46, after a Chace Davis basket at the 13:28 mark, the UMES offense went cold while the MSU shooters knocked down four of their next five three point shots. A three-point make by Wynston Tabbs capped the 16-2 scoring run for the Bears as they took a 62-48 lead at the 8:54 mark of the second half.
 

Looking for a response, UMES head coach Jason Crafton inserted reserve forward Malang Athian who made an immediate impact. Athian knocked down a three pointer with 7:23 remaining to reenergize the Hawks. Baskets from Toby Nnadozie, Davis and Damani Claxton cut the Morgan State lead down to four at the 4:36 mark. Athian provided another spark with back-to-back dunks to help UMES stay within striking distance.
 

Down 74-69, another Davis basket along with a Athian tip-in at the basket brought the Hawks to within one, 74-73, with 1:08 to play. After forcing the third Morgan State turnover in a span of 60 seconds, an offensive rebound was corralled by Troy Hupstead which resulted in a MSU foul under the rim. With 10.5 seconds on the clock, Hupstead went to line and calmly knocked down both free throws to give UMES its first lead since the 5:01 mark of the first half.
 

A missed jumper by Tabbs at the three second mark and a last second heave at the end of the game both came up empty as the Hawks successfully completed the second half comeback.
 

 
BY THE NUMBERS

Hupsetad continues to be a force for the Hawks as he recorded 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Hupstead recorded his fourth double-double of the year and continues to be one of the top rebounders in the nation with 8.4 rpg.
 

Athian finished Saturday's game with nine points with all being scored in the final eight minutes of the game.

 
Davis chipped in with 10 points on the night while Tyler Mack and Devon Ellis each scored nine in the victory.

 
UMES forced MSU into 19 turnovers which resulted in a 23-15 edge in points scored off giveaways. Led by Athian, the UMES bench outscored the MSU reserves by a score of 22-16.

 
The Hawks will able to overcome a balanced Bears starting lineup as Tabbs finished with 20 points while Kamron Hobbs had 16 points and Will Thomas scored 10 points.

 
The Bears held the lead for over 30 minutes of playing time while the Hawks were ahead for just over five minutes.

 
The Hawks are now 4-1 at home this season.
 

 
FROM COACH JASON CRAFTON

 
"The bench stepped up in some key moments for us. Malang Athian, Damani Claxton and Israel Yaw did on excellent job of taking advantage of opportunities and made plays for us down the stretch."

 
"I thought we did a good job of spacing the floor and spreading out the defense which opened some things up for us down in the second half. I thought Morgan State had an excellent gameplan for us and it took us a while to respond to their physicality. Tonight's win is a real testament to the drive and focus our guys have."

 
"Malang has been extremely focused in practice and wants to find ways to help our team. He made some of the biggest plays of the game for us tonight. We needed a spark and he provided it with both his shot making and ability to finish at the rim."

 
"Troy Hupstead continues to be our most consistent player. He knocked down the crucial free throws and came up with some key assists down the stretch to help us get the victory."

 
"It is conference play now. It is all about preparing for the next game. We will enjoy this victory tonight but we have a quick turnaround on Monday in Baltimore against a motivated Coppin State team.
 


 
UP NEXT
 

The Hawks travel to Coppin State on Monday night at 7:30 pm.