SUMMARY

BALTIMORE – The University of Maryland Shore broke open its game against Morgan State in the second half and never looked back as the Hawks earned their third straight MEAC win, 77-59.

THE SCORE

Morgan State (9-12, 2-4 MEAC) - 59

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (8-12, 3-2) - 77

HOW IT HAPPENED

Neither side gave ground through the first quarter as the frame ended with a 16-16 tie thanks, in large part, to efficient shooting from both sides. While the Bears went 6-of-14 for 42.9% from the field, the Hawks knocked down 7-of-13 on a 53.8% shooting clip. Brianna Barnes and Ce'nara Skanes led the way with four points each while four other Hawks knocked down shots in the opening frame. Throughout the first quarter, neither side mounted more than a three-point lead as each side traded shots.

The second quarter saw similar scoring as the Bears eked out a one-point lead heading into the half as Morgan State held a 16-15 advantage. Morgan State managed a 10-4 lead through the first five minutes of the quarter before the Hawks stormed back with nine points in the final four minutes of the half. Dakieran Turner and Mahogany Lester paced the Hawks with four points each. UMES also got it done in the paint with a 16-8 rebounding advantage where Turner again came up big while ripping down five. Through the first half, Barnes and Lester each notched six points while Skanes put up five. Turner and Ashanti Lynch each got on the board for another four points with the team shooting 40.7% from the field.

The Hawks found their stride coming out of the halftime break as the team dominated the third quarter to the tune of a 31-16 scoring advantage. The Hawks jumped into the lead with a 17-6 scoring in the first 3:04 of the quarter, including three straight three-point buckets from Lester in the span of a minute and a half. UMES limited the Bears to a 6-of-17 shooting performance in the quarter while managing to shoot 78.6% from the field with a 11-of-14 performance. Lester's trio of threes helped her pace the way with 11 points total in the quarter while Barnes added another 10 with Lynch and Turner scoring six and four points, respectively.

Through the fourth quarter the Hawks effectively iced the game at the free throw line with half of their 16 points in the quarter coming off fouls. Zamara Haynes came up big for the Hawks after remaining relatively quiet through the early phases as she scored six points, including four from the charity stripe. Lynch and Skanes each notched another four points while Amira Ofunniyin got on the board with a bucket to take a 16-12 advantage in the quarter to help cement the win.

BY THE NUMBERS

Mahogany Lester put up her third straight double-digit scoring performance as she led both sides in scoring with 17. She added four rebounds to her efficient shooting day which included a 3-of-4 mark from beyond the arc.

UMES posted its third most efficient shooting performance of the season at 44.8% for field goals while going 26-of-58.

Brianna Barnes posted her ninth game with double-digit scoring as she finished the game with 16. She also added her season-high in rebounds with eight while also dishing out three assists and grabbing a pair of steals.

The win marked the fifth time the Hawks have had three players reach double digits scoring in the same game this season as Ashanti Lynch scored 14 while tying Barnes for a team-high eight rebounds. Lynch also added a pair of steals and an assist in the win.

For the fourth straight game, the Hawks held the advantage in the paint with rebounds as they pulled down 46 to the Bears' 36. The Hawks scored 46 points in the paint while also notching 18 second chance points.

UMES marked the fourth straight game with double digit assists as the Hawks dished out 14 for the game. Zamara Haynes led the team with six while Barnes hit teammates for three more.

COMMENTS FROM HAWK HEAD COACH MALIKAH WILLIS

Thoughts on the game and third straight MEAC win

"I think we did a good job and it's starting to show. With three in a row, we're executing more, playing a little more solid defense. We're still fouling, but I've got to live with it and continue to teach it. It's going to be baby steps, but we're aggressive."

Third quarter performance

"We've barely scored 30 in a whole half, so for a quarter, that's amazing. I've just got to shout-out these seniors. Mahogany hitting those three threes, just electric. Zamara with six assists, electric. (Dakieran) coming in and setting the tone defensively. We're starting to click, not just on offense, not just on defense, it's everything. It's rebounding, executing. I'm loving it. This is the time of year where it's supposed to happen."

Performance of Lynch and Barnes

"Those are the players that I continue to challenge to step up and get outside of the shadows and be consistent. They're in there, they just shouted each other out. They always give individual player shout-outs, and they all got their shout-out. It's recognized."

Preparing for Coppin State

"We're going to focus on us more so because we have to make a few adjustments. We're going to be ready to play in front of our home crowd that's going to be necessary. We're looking forward to the Hawk community coming out Monday night. And we'll be ready for them. We'll go over a lot of film tomorrow and go out and execute some more on Monday."

NEXT UP

The Hawks return home to the Hytche Athletic Center for their next MEAC matchup on Monday, Feb. 3, against Coppin State. UMES is at home for its next three games as Howard (Feb. 10) and Norfolk State (Feb. 15) follow.

To purchase tickets for any and all upcoming home games, visit the following link: UMES Basketball Tickets