Hawks knock off North Carolina Central for first MEAC win


SUMMARY

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks were able to get into the MEAC win column with a 68-59 home win over North Carolina Central on Monday.



THE SCORE

North Carolina Central Eagles (11-17; 4-7) - 59

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (5-22; 1-10) - 68



SUMMARY

In a back and forth first half, UMES was carried by the scoring of guard Evan Johnson who poured in 12 points in the opening 20 minutes of play. NC Central went into the intermission with a six point edge, 33-27, thanks to 12 points from Perry Smith, Jr and seven from Po'Boigh King.

The margin remained in the single digits for the majority of the second half. A three pointer by King gave the Eagles a 48-44 lead at the 13:31 mark before UMES responded with a 7-0 run sparked by two put backs by forward Christopher Flippin. From that point on, the Hawks never trailed. With the game tied up at 51-51, UMES went on a 9-0 run highlighted by put back dunk by Ketron "KC" Shaw along with makes by Cardell Bailey and Hassan Perkins. With a 60-51 lead at the 4:05 mark, UMES closed out the game by way of the free throw line. The Hawks converted seven of eight attempts from the line on their way to the victory.


BY THE NUMBERS

Evan Johnson led a balanced UMES offense with 19 points while going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. KC Shaw added 16 points while grabbing a game-high and season best 12 rebounds and dishing out six assists. Cardell Bailey scored 14 points along with seven rebounds and four assists.

Perry Smith Jr led NCCU with 18 points and eight rebounds. Po'Boigh King finished with 15 points.

UMES made 17-of-21 free throws (81%). NCCU was 9-of-17 from the line (52.9%).

The Hawks held a 46-33 edge in rebound. The 46 rebounds are a MEAC best for the Hawks this season.

UMES tied a season-high with a combined four blocked shots.

The win snaps a five game losing streak to NCCU.



COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH CLEO HILL, JR

"This win was well overdue. I appreciate how hard the guys played tonight and the great support from our fans. I thought the energy in Hytche was excellent."

"We had a big play by KC Shaw that sparked our team and the crowd and we were able to sustain that high level of energy throughout the night."

"I am proud of our guys. We had a really tough non-conference schedule followed by matchups against quality teams in the MEAC. They have stayed motivated and were up to the challenge tonight."

"Tonight was a total team win. I thought guys like Hassan (Perkins) and Cardell (Bailey) did a great job of stepping up and playing on both ends of the floor. Jose (Cuello) and Trey (Hall) gave us some quality minutes. I thought Trey gave us some a great defensive presence while going up against the NCCU front court. I am very proud of them."


UP NEXT

The Hawks host Morgan State on Saturday in the final home game of the season.