Hawks top Longwood in double overtime

 
SUMMARY

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks edged the Lancers of Longwood University, 83-82, in double overtime on Tuesday night.

 
 
THE SCORE

Maryland Eastern Shore (2-4) - 83
Longwood Lancers (3-2) - 82
 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

 
After some early back and forth, UMES found some offensive rhythm thanks to a spark from Justin Monden off the bench. The 6-1 guard came into the game and scored a quick eight points while recording four steals in the first 20 minutes of play. Combining the hot shooting of guard Jaden Cooper and steady scoring presence of Trey Brown and Christopher Flippin, the Hawks led by as many as 15 and went into the intermission with a 41-35 lead over the Lancers.


Cooper had 11 points in the first half to go along with Monden's eight off the bench. Brown had seven points followed by Flippin's six points as UMES appeared poised to grab the early season road win.

 
Six early turnovers by the Hawks allowed the Lancers to slowly chip away at the UMES lead, eventually taking a 54-53 lead at the 9-minute mark on a layin from Elijah Tucker. Longwood used an 8-0 run to go ahead 56-53 before Brown answered with a traditional three-point play for the Hawks on the other end to tie the game back up.

 
Longwood held on to a three-point edge with under six minutes to go until Zion Obanla converted on tough finishes in the paint in back-to-back trips down the floor. Obanla's effort propelled the Hawks in the final five minutes of regulation. The 6-8 wing grabbed three offensive rebounds down the stretch and finished a UMES possession with a dunk to tie up the game, 69-69, with 38 seconds to play. Neither team was able to generate a potential game winning basket as the game went into overtime.

 
The ball appeared to have a slippery film during the opening minutes of overtime as both teams committed early turnovers on the opening possessions. Once settled in, Monden stepped up for the Hawks with a running midrange shot followed by a three pointer to put the Hawks up, 74-69, with 2:22 to go. UMES remained ahead down the stretch, 75-73, but a turnover and a foul with 7.8 seconds left sent Johan Nziemi to the free throw line. Nziemi calmy knocked down both free throws to send the game into the second overtime session.

 
In the second overtime, UMES used baskets from Flippin and Brown early on to grab the slim lead. The biggest shot of the night from either team came from stretch forward Dorion Staples, who knocked down a three ball from the top of the key to put the Hawks up by three, 83-80, with 53 seconds to play. Free throws from Tucker on the other end brought LU to within one point but defensive stops by the Hawks on the final two Lancer possessions gave UMES the double overtime victory.
 
 

 
BY THE NUMBERS

 
Tuesday's win marked the first time UMES has beaten Longwood since the 1980-1981 season. The Hawks are now 2-6 in the all-time series.

 
UMES guard Justin Monden went for a season-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and five steals. He also led all Hawks with a plus-10 rating on the floor.


Jaden Cooper went for a season-high 17 points and seven rebounds for the Hawks in the victory. He also tallied four assists.

 
Zion Obanla finished with 15 points and six rebounds along with two blocks. Trey Brown added 13 points and six rebounds in the win.

 
Led by Monden, the UMES bench outscored the Longwood reserves, 43-15.

 
UMES held a 44-34 edge in points scored in the paint.

 
UMES overcame a significant free throw discrepancy. Longwood was 30 of 34 from the free throw line while UMES made just 15 trips and converted seven attempts.
 

 
COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH CLEO HILL, JR


"Tonight was good. Our guys have been battling through a lot over the last few weeks. I thought they did a great job of coming together throughout the entire game and fought through two overtimes. Tonight's win says a lot about our character and I am proud of them."


"I think Longwood is the most physical team I have coached against so I really give a lot of credit to our players for staying tough tonight and finishing the game."

 
"We just played four power four programs and it got us ready for tonight. Longwood has great physicality to their game and are well coached. I just felt like we have been battle tested early this season and it prepared us for moments like tonight."

 
"Justin (Monden) and Jaden (Cooper) made big shots tonight. I thought this was the first game that they both executed well together and we also got some great minutes from Trey Brown. Trey had some big baskets and did an excellent job rebounding the basketball."

 
"Tonight helps us. We continue to battle on the road. I think games like this gives us the confidence to go into another long road trip to Buffalo this weekend."
 

"It has been a long time since UMES has beaten Longwood. We want to keep taking strides forward and making history."




UP NEXT


The Hawks travel to Buffalo, New York this weekend. UMES faces Canisius on Friday and Binghamton on Saturday.