WBB at Howard 2.17.25
59
UMES UMES 8-16,3-6 MEAC
72
Winner Howard HOW 15-9,8-1 MEAC
UMES UMES
8-16,3-6 MEAC
59
Final
72
Howard HOW
15-9,8-1 MEAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
UMES UMES 18 20 7 14 59
Howard HOW 11 26 13 22 72

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Hawks Hold Strong Early, But Fall to Howard in Second Half


SUMMARY
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore started strong in the first quarter but struggled to find its rhythm in the second half, falling to the Howard Bison, 72-59, on Monday evening.

THE SCORE
Howard Bison (15-9, 8-1 MEAC) - 72
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (8-16, 3-6 MEAC) - 59

HOW IT HAPPENED
Dakieran Turner opened the scoring for the Hawks. Zamara Haynes found Turner on a slip, and four possessions later, Turner sank a turnaround jumper to cut the deficit to 6-4. Haynes then went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line before converting a layup and a foul shot to give the Hawks their first lead at 8-6.

Both teams played a physical game, with the Hawks committing six fouls and the Bison seven. The Hawks capitalized at the line, knocking down four straight free throws from Mahogany Lester and Haynes to extend the lead to 12-6. Dominating the boards, the Hawks outrebounded the Bison 14-4 and finished the first quarter shooting 10-of-13 from the line to take an 18-11 lead.

The Bison responded to the Hawks' largest lead of the game, 26-16, by cutting the margin to just one at 38-37. Turner and Haynes continued to lead the Hawks offensively, with 14 and 13 points, respectively, heading into halftime. However, turnovers plagued the Hawks in the second quarter, as they committed seven, allowing Howard to score 12 points off those mistakes.

Ce'nara Skanes came alive for the Hawks, scoring four points to close out the quarter. Down the stretch, she drew a foul and converted both free throws to give the Hawks a one-point lead heading into halftime.

The third quarter was a grind, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm—just six baskets combined between them. The Bison edged the Hawks in rebounding, 11-10. A 6-0 run by the Bison stifled the Hawks, but Haynes responded with a hook shot to push her total to 15 points.
Lainey Allen showed grit, halting the Bison's momentum by draining both free throws to narrow the gap to 46-42. Then, Haynes delivered her fifth assist, finding Lynch cutting through the lane for the Hawks' second field goal of the quarter.

After knocking down 1-of-2 free throws to close the third quarter, Skanes hit the first two baskets for the Hawks in the final frame. However, the Hawks were outscored by the Bison, 8-2. Amiaya Morgan scored her first points of the game, including the first three-pointer for the Hawks tonight, to stop the Bisons' run.

With under four minutes remaining, Howard built its largest lead at 68-52, outscoring the Hawks 18-9. Brianna Barnes contributed, hitting her first shot of the game, and Skanes scored the final three points for the Hawks as they fell to Howard, 72-59.


BY THE NUMBERS
Turner scored a career-high 14 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Skanes recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Haynes dished out a season-high seven assists.

This marks the seventh time this season that at least three Hawks have scored in double digits.

The Hawks shot 82% from the free-throw line in the first half, connecting on 14-of-17 attempts.


COMMENTS FROM HAWK HEAD COACH MALIKAH WILLIS

Overall takeaways from the game
"I thought we had a much better start and first half. We're still learning how to keep the lead when we have it. We can't get comfortable or complacent, and that's the winning mentality we're trying to instill here. Howard never let up, and that's what's happening. We started the game well, and we changed a few things with our lineup, which worked for us."

First-half spark
"We were locked in on limiting second-chance opportunities and not giving up easy layups. Howard got hot from three, and that hurt us a bit. But we took pride in defending the paint and forced them to make tough shots, which they did."

Depth players making an impact
"It's crucial for us to have depth. Being able to go to the bench and call on different players and defenses is a bonus. The issue is consistency. I need to know what I'm going to get when I call on someone, not hope for something. The players have to bring it every day."

Next three home matches
"We'll try to build on what we've been doing with our lineup, tweaking a few defenses. We're going to focus on attacking inside more efficiently. I thought we did a better job of that today. We also did a much better job of passing and sharing the ball."

NEXT UP

The Hawks will prepare for their final three-game home stretch of the season against North Carolina Central on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m.

 






 

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