SUMMARY
NORFOLK, Virginia – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks have punched their ticket to the second round of the MEAC Homecoming Basketball Tournament.
In a Thursday matchup with Morgan State, the Hawks earned a 74-67 win behind a heavy push in the paint.
THE SCORE
No. 6 seed Morgan State (13-17) - 67
No. 3 Seed Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (14-16) - 74
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was a physical battle from the start. Ce'nara Skanes put the Hawks on the board first, though, with a layup a minute into the game. Morgan State responded in kind, but the Bears' offense was limited by UMES' defense as the Hawks ripped off an 8-0 run before Morgan State got on the board again. Dakieran Turner led the Hawks with seven points while she and Skanes each ripped down five rebounds. The Hawks made themselves at home under the basket with 12 points in the paint while pulling down 17 boards to take a 19-10 lead into the second frame.
Skanes continued to make her mark in the second quarter, scoring eight points and Zamara Haynes dropped in another five while Brianna Barnes, Aleah James, Ashanti Lynch and Lainey Allen each made their way to the basket for the Hawks. Morgan State, though put the pressure on UMES early with a couple of quick baskets in the first minute before Skanes was true from beyond the arc to strengthen the Hawks' lead, 22-14. Each side traded baskets for the next few minutes with the Bears tying it at 24 each with 5:08 remaining. However, the Hawks stormed into the halftime break on a 9-3 run.
Barnes got the scoring started for UMES coming out of the halftime break with a layup 18 seconds into the third quarter before Haynes got home on a fastbreak layup. Lynch, Skanes and Mahogany Lester continued the Hawks' hot start to the second half with buckets to cap a 10-0 run through the first 2:50 of the quarter before Morgan State could answer back. The Bears scored the next six points unanswered before Haynes completed an and-one opportunity to extend the Hawks' lead to 52-37. Both sides continued to trade shots before the Hawks took a 58-50 lead into the final quarter. Haynes paced the Hawks' offense with nine points.
The fourth quarter was a practice in controlled game play as the Hawks held off the Bears' comeback efforts. Lynch scored five of her eight fourth quarter points en route to an 7-0 run for the Hawks while Turner played eight vital minutes for UMES despite missing time for an injury incurred in the first half. Pressed into putting up points at the free throw line, the Hawks hit 6-of-7 to bolster their 16 fourth quarter points to keep the Bears at bay.
BY THE NUMBERS
Ce'nara Skanes recorded a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds while also blocking two shots and dishing out an assist.
In addition to Skanes, three other Hawks scored in the double digits with Zamara Haynes scoring a team-high 19 points while Ashanti Lynch and Dakieran Turner added 13 and 11, respectively.
The win marks the sixth in a row for UMES. It is the longest win streak the program has had since a seven-game streak during the 2018-19 season.
UMES took a definitive advantage on the boards as the Hawks outrebounded Morgan State 49-29 through the game, with 20 boards coming on the offensive end. In addition to Skanes' 16 boards, Turner added nine, Haynes eight and Lynch five.
The Hawks had their second best shooting percentage of the season at 46.7% after going 28-60 from the field.
Though the score was tied twice after the start of the game, UMES never trailed through the game. The Hawks led by as much as 18 in the third quarter while on a 14-point scoring run.
COMMENTS FROM HAWK HEAD COACH MALIKAH WILLIS
Thoughts on the game
"I'm proud of this group. We've been talking about adversity every game. We're on a six-game streak right now, and nothing is getting easier. I'm never really happy with our defensive outcome because I know we can do a lot better. We started turning them over early and got in transition. I loved it. We got a little bit lax and they got back in the game, offensive rebounds, going to the paint, things like that. But I'm really proud of them. These seniors deserved it, Ashanti (Lynch) a junior deserved it. We've got a great group and it's finally starting to click at the right time."
Ashanti Lynch's impact
"Ashanti is like the glue. I'm on her the hardest; I'm on her really, really hard. I took her out of the lineup early on, challenged her to step up on and off the court, things like that, and she steps up. And the more she shows me, the more I'm on her. She's one of those players you can get the best out of, she's going to always come back and try and make the adjustment. She's a glue kid. She's going to stretch the floor on offense, get out there on defense, go for some steals. And she's tough, she's going to take some charges too."
Gritty win prepare for next round
"We talk about championship behavior, especially going into the tournament. It's something that's taught. You don't just wake up and you're a champion. You have to learn how to do it, you have to learn how to lose games, you have to learn to win games, and you've got to learn how to go through that handshake line at the end. All of that. But quite honestly, every game we've been in has been chippy. I don't know what that's about, but we've got some tough players, we've got a tough coaching staff, tough everything around us. That's how we roll. We expect chippy, but the beautiful part is handling our composure."
Rebounding in the game
"That's another thing that's expected. We have to rebound. We have to win possessions because early on we had to find scorers. (Zamara Haynes) was averaging 20 points for us in non-conference and we had to find ways to score around her. And that's how we started finding ways, rebounding the ball and limiting possessions for the other team and having more possessions for us just in case we can't execute on offense one time or we get another stop and we've got to get it a second time. Rebounding has always been a focus. With this team, it's just a part of my philosophy in general. Again, it's just taking away possessions from another team, one and done and then getting in transition."
NEXT UP
The Hawks advance to the second round of the MEAC Homecoming Basketball Tournament with a 2 p.m. matchup against Howard in the Scope Arena.
