Box Score Hawks remain undefeated in MEAC play with 74-70 win at Norfolk State
 

 
SUMMARY

 
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks improved to 3-0 in MEAC play with a 74-70 road win over Norfolk State on Monday night.
 

 
THE SCORE

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (7-13; 3-0) – 74
Norfolk State Spartans (7-12; 1-2) - 70
 
 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

 
Coming into Monday's game with a 2-0 record in the MEAC, the Hawks opened the game with an 11-6 lead paced by five early points from guard Jaden Cooper along with a three ball by Dorion Staples and a basket by Michael Teal.
 

After a media timeout, the Spartans responded with a 7-0 run before a Zion Obanla dunk broke up the NSU run. Tied at 13-13, Cooper hit from three point range and a dunk by Christopher Flippin helped UMES take a 18-15 lead at the 11:51 mark. A UMES scoring drought lasting over four minutes allowed the Spartans to retake the lead, 20-18, with 7:53 to go in the half. Teal broke the drought with a dunk. A Justin Monden three pointer and another layup by Teal gave the Hawks a 25-24 lead with just over five minutes remaining until halftime. After the final media timeout, UMES went up by six after a make from Staples and another three pointer from Monden.
 
 
UMES led by as many as eight late in the first half before a 7-0 run by Norfolk State cut the lead down to one, 32-31, at intermission.
 
 
UMES shooting was off to the start the second half as the Hawks combined to make just one of 11 shots from the floor. With the score tied at 39-39 with 15:55 to go, NSU made the next two baskets as a Anthony McComb jumper gave the Spartans a 43-39 edge. The Hawks battled back with baskets from Zion Obanla to knot the score at 44-44 with 11 minutes remaining. Obanla continued to provide a spark for the UMES offense. Trey Brown found a soaring Obanla for a alley oop and Teal found Obanla for a streaking layin on the next UMES possession. With the teams trading baskets, the score remained tied at 52-52 with 7:05 to play.

 
The MEAC battle continued down the stretch. A hook shot by Obanla and a three pointer from Cooper were countered by Jordan Leaks and Melo Barnes baskets. With 1:24 to go and down by three, a free throw by Obanla brought UMES to within two points. After coming up with a defensive stop, UMES forward Dorion Staples drew a foul on Baines and knocked down both free throws to tie the game up. After a Leaks free throw on the other end, Michael Teal came up with a finish in the paint on the other end to put UMES up 69-68 with 21 seconds left. After a missed free throw by Teal, Justin Monden jumped up to tap the the ball to Obanla who recovered the offensive rebound. Forced to foul, Norfolk State sent UMES to the line again. The Hawks split a pair of free throws to take a two-point lead. On the ensuing inbounds, Cooper came up with a steal and was sent to the line where he calmly knocked down both free throws. With eight seconds remaining, NSU's Elijaj Jamison earned a trip to the line and hit two more free throws to bring the Spartans back to within two, 72-70, with six seconds left. The Spartans sent Cooper to the line again where the guard sealed the victory with two free throws to keep the Hawks undefeated in conference play.
 

 
BY THE NUMBERS

 
Zion Obanla scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to lead the Hawks. He also led all players with eight rebounds. Jaden Cooper finished with 19 points which included a 10-for-10 performance from the line. Michael Teal had 14 points along with five assists while Dorion Staples added 10 points and six rebounds.

 
Monday night's game had 11 lead changes and 13 ties before the Hawks finally sealed the win.
 
 
UMES made 38 of 37 free throws while NSU was 23 for 33 from the line.

 
Obanla finished the game with a plus 25 efficiency rating.

 
UMES had lost nine of the last ten matchups to Norfolk State entering Monday night. The Hawk victory snaps a six-game losing streak to the Spartans.

 
The Hawks began MEAC play with a 2-0 record for the first time since 1996. Now at 3-0, it is the best start to conference play for a UMES team since the school became an exclusive NCAA Div. I institution in 1981.


Elijah Jamison led the Spartans with 15 points. 
 

 
 
COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH CLEO HILL, JR
 
 
"This is absolutely a huge win for us. We knew Norfolk State would come in and be ready to play a hard fought game. They are well coached and have been a top tier team in the MEAC for a long time now under Coach Rob Jones. We just wanted to come in and play as hard as we could possibly play. Tonight was really about executing and playing together."

 
"We challenged all of our post players during halftime. We did not think we were playing up to our potential. Zion (Obanla) came out and was at the forefront of answering that challenge. He provided great scoring but was also big from an energy standpoint on the defensive end. He really helped change the game for us."

 
"Michael Teal has done a great job all year of providing energy and leadership. He has developed himself into a true point guard and takes pride in studying film and scouting reports. I thought Michael made the right plays when we needed it and had maybe the biggest basket of the game late to help us come out on top."

 
"Jaden (Cooper) was tremendous tonight on both ends of the floor. He was great from the line tonight and helped seal the victory. He has been a leader for us all year long and is a high IQ player."

 
"I thought we had big plays from multiple guys tonight. Justin's (Monden) tip off a missed free throw late to get an extra possession for us was crucial. Dorion Staples was effective on both ends of the floor and knocked down big free throws when we needed them. Overall, it takes a team effort to beat Norfolk State and we did that tonight."
 

"This start to conference play is in alignment with the vision that the University leadership had for this program when they hired me. Our goal was to breath some new life into this program. I think the coaching staff has done a tremendous job up to this point of bringing in the right type of players and we have started to make huge strides in trying to restore the pride while honoring the rich history of UMES basketball."
 
 
 
 
 
UP NEXT
 
 
The Hawks continue MEAC play on Saturday at home against Coppin State.