Hawks top Howard to start 2-0 in MEAC play


 
SUMMARY
 
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks improved to 2-0 in MEAC play with a 69-57 win over Howard on Saturday.
 


 
THE SCORE
 
Howard Bision (9-8;0-2) - 57
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (6-13; 2-0) - 69
 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

 
The Hawks fell behind 10-2 as Howard's Travell Bryson hit his first three shots to fuel the Bison offense. UMES shooters struggled from the start, making just one of their first 10 shots before a Zion Obanla layin on an inbounds pass broke the shooting drought. A Jaden Cooper midrange shot brought the score to 12-6 in favor of HU by the 11:51 mark.

 
UMES slowly chipped away at the early deficit. Three Balls by Dorion Staples and Joseph Locandro along with finishes in the paint by guard Michael Teal sparked an 11-2 run to end the half and a 34-30 edge for the Hawks at intermission. The Hawks used a 11-0 advantage in points scored off turnovers in the opening half to help gain the four point advantage.

 
HU opened the second half on a 9-2 run to reclaim a 39-36 edge at the 15:48 mark of the second half. UMES responded with the energy of Zion Obanla, who came in and made three of four shots from the field while blocking a shot and grabbing two rebounds in a four minute span to help his team reclaim the lead, 45-44, with 11:50 to play.

 
Tied at 47-47, a Teal three pointer put UMES up by three at 9:48. Jaden Johnson knocked down another shot from beyond the arc for the Hawks at the 6:56 mark to make the score 53-49 in favor of UMES. Another three ball from Jaden Cooper put UMES up by seven at the 3:20 mark. The Bison fought back with baskets by Bryce Harris and Cam Gillus to cut the deficit down to three before a traditional three point play by Cooper put UMES up 62-56 with 2:40 remaining. The Hawks managed to close out the game while converting seven of eight free throw attempts while Howard managed just one point in the final 120 seconds of the game.
 

 
BY THE NUMBERS

 
The Hawks begin MEAC play with a 2-0 record for the first time since 1996.

 
Saturday's win snapped a six game losing streak to Howard.

 
Dorion Staples led UMES with 16 points. Jaden Cooper added 13 points. Michael Teal recorded 11 points and a game-high six assists while Zion Obanla came off the bench to score 10 points and led UMES with seven rebounds and two blocks.

 
UMES made 18 of 22 free throw attempts. Howard was seven for 11 from the line.

 
UMES held a 18-11 edge in points scored off turnovers.

 
Led by Obanla, the UMES bench outscored the Howard reserves, 17-5.

 
Travelle Bryson led Howard with a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds.
 

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COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH CLEO HILL, JR


"I thought tonight's effort was great. Howard came in with great intensity and I thought our guys responded well. We thought our depth and size would help us down the stretch and it made a difference tonight."

 
"I thought we had great contributions from everyone tonight. Jaden Johnson, a Maryland product, gave us some big minutes tonight and made some great decisions with the ball in his hands down the stretch. Zion Obanla gave us a huge spark in the second half on both ends of the floor and Trey Brown came in and made some plays when he was called upon. Overall, tonight was an excellent team effort."

 
"I have always felt our team is only as good as our senior leadership. Michael Teal and Jaden Cooper in the backcourt really kept us focused while Dorion Staples provided a great offensive presence tonight. Those three guys did a great job in helping us come out on top."
 

"For us, it is all about building our culture. We believe we can win by playing hard and holding each other accountable. We are now at 2-0 in the conference with the focus shifting to our next game at Norfolk State."
 



 
UP NEXT


The Hawks travel to Norfolk State on Monday night.
 

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