SUMMARY

DURHAM, North Carolina — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore controlled the lead for the first 37 minutes of the game, but a late charge allowed North Carolina Central to force both sides into double overtime. Neither side gave much ground, but a 9-2 run for the Eagles in the final two minutes gave way to a Hawks 86-92 loss in their second MEAC game of the season.

THE SCORE

North Carolina Central (3-14, 1-2 MEAC) - 92

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (5-12, 0-2) - 86

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Hawks got off to a fast start with Brianna Barnes sinking two layups on the UMES' first shot attempts of the game to take a 4-0 lead in the first minute. Dakieran Turner and Aleah James continued to help pour on the points as the pair combined for another five points as the Hawks opened the game on a 9-0 run through the first three minutes. NCCU pushed back and trimmed the Hawks' lead down to one by the end of the quarter, but UMES maintained its 18-17 lead behind seven and six points from James and Barnes, respectively.

Through the second frame the Hawks managed to open their lead up on another 9-0 run through three minutes before the Eagles found the basket at the 5:20 mark with a pair of free throws. Barnes continued to pile on the points with another six on 3-of-5 shooting. Ashanti Lynch and Ce'nara Skanes also got on the stat sheet with some rebounding prowess as Lynch pulled down three boards and knocked down a jumper while Skanes grabbed two rebounds to pair with a jumper of her own. UMES outscored the Eagles 15-8 in the second quarter to take a 33-25 lead into the halftime break.

The third quarter went to the Eagles as NCCU outscored UMES 18-14 in the frame while the Hawks' shooting first half shooting percentage fell from 54% to 24% in the second half. Mahogany Lester and Zamara Haynes made strides in the third as each notched four points.

Neither side saw much success from the field in the fourth quarter as UMES went 2-of-16 from the field and held to 14 points, 10 of which came from the free throw line. NCCU went 4-of-12 and 9-of-11 from the charity stripe for 18 points to knot the score at 68 apiece to push the game into overtime.

Each side pushed through the first five minutes of extra time to the tune of a 9-9 draw. However, NCCU would capitalize on a series of missed shots from UMES in the second overtime to take a 15-9 advantage in the frame to take away the game from the Hawks.

BY THE NUMBERS

After being tied for the first 15 seconds of the game, UMES led until the 2:47 mark of the fourth quarter when NCCU tied the game. In total, UMES led the Eagles for 43:16 to NCCU's 4:11.

For the first time this season, four UMES players hit double digits for scoring. Brianna Barnes led the Hawks with 14 points while Amiaya Morgan scored 13, and Aleah James and Ce'nara Skanes each scored 11.

While UMES forced the second-most turnovers against an opponent this season with 28 against NCCU, the Hawks tied their season-high for turnovers in a game with 32.

Both sides combined for 97 free throw attempts. UMES hit 28-of-41 of its attempts from the stripe while NCCU went 44-of-56. The Hawks committed 41 personal fouls to the Eagles' 31.

UMES held control of the paint for the game with a rebounding advantage of 54-42 while also outscoring NCCU 46-24 in the paint.

COMMENTS FROM HAWK HEAD COACH MALIKAH WILLIS

Thoughts on the game

"I'm speechless, I really am. The same things are catching up to us. The missed layups and the turnovers. We had 18 turnovers in the first half, unforced. They weren't pressing us. We've got to come ready to play, and that's it. That's on me, and I'll take that."

Importance on Free Throws In This Game

"It's a rotation. We had to rotate in and out of the game. Had four people fouling out on my side, and I think the same on (NCCU's) side. When that's happening, your people coming in have to be able to hit those free throws."

Where Does the Improvement Need to Come From

"Being disciplined. We didn't follow the game plan, and it's the first time in a long time we haven't. I don't know if it's the conference that we're thinking a certain way when the competition is different from what we were going up against, but the discipline needs to be there."

NEXT UP

The Hawks remain on the road with a 5:30 p.m. Monday MEAC game at South Carolina State.