Early struggles doom Hawks in loss to Hampton



SUMMARY


The Hawks struggled from the field in the first on Tuesday night and were unable to fully recover in a 74-68 loss to Hampton



THE SCORE

Hampton Pirates (3-5) - 74
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (3-6) - 68



HOW IT HAPPENED


After opening the game with a 5-0 lead, the Hawks surrendered a 16-2 run to the Pirates and trailed 16-7 by the 13:21 mark. Hampton stretched their lead to 24-8 by the 8:23 mark and took a 39-28 edge into intermission. UMES shot 36% from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play (9-25) and just one-of-seven from three point range. HU was 12 for 25 from the field (48%) and five for eleven from the three point line. Power forward Josh Ogundele set the tone for the Pirates with eight first half points while Michael Eley added seven points. UMES was paced by Joseph Locandro and Zion Obanla, who each had eight points.


The Pirates led by as many as 17 in the second half after a Christian Watson dunk made the score 55-38 at the 12:09 mark. The Hawks responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit down to ten with 9:15 to play. A three pointer from Locandro brought UMES to within single digits, 59-52, with 7:09 remaining. UMES continued to chip away at the HU lead and came to within as many as four, 65-61, thanks to a midrange jumper by Obanla at the 3:36 mark. The Pirates responded with a layin from Xzavier Long and closed the game out by converted seven of nine free throw attempts down the stretch to claim the six point victory.




BY THE NUMBERS


Tuesday was the first match between the Hampton and Maryland Eastern Shore since the 2018 season. Hampton, a former MEAC member, is now a member of the CAA.


UMES was paced by Zion Obanla's 20 points and nine rebounds. Joe Locandro finished with 18 points and Justin Monden added 13 points for the Hawks.


Josh Ogundele led Hampton with 17 points, four assists and four rebounds. Michael Eley added 13 points and Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt finished with 12 points in the Pirate victory.


The UMES bench continues to be a positive spot for the Hawks. Led by Monden and Obanla, the Hawks outscored the Hampton reserves, 37-16.



COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH CLEO HILL JR


"We started out very slow and did not execute in the early stages of the game. I thought Hampton came out ready to play and shot the ball really well from the field early on. I also think they did a good job defensively and threw us off. The bottom line is that we just can't afford to start slow against good teams."


"To our credit, we were able to find a combination of players that made an impact and we made a run in the second half. I was proud of the way we continued to fight and brought the deficit down to four. We were just in too much of a hole for the majority of the game and came up short."


"Zion (Obanla) was solid for us throughout the night. Joe (Locandro) shot the ball great. Justin Monden made some big shots in the second half and Dorion Staples also did some good things for us. Both of those guys really battled against a strong post player in Ogundele and their frontcourt. I thought the whole team battled and showed some heart tonight."


"To win these types of games, you have to execute in the crucial moments. They made some timely shots throughout the night which was ultimately the difference in the game."




UP NEXT


The Hawks host Gwynedd Mercy on Saturday at 4 pm. The game will be free to the public to attend.