Hawks open MEAC play with a 66-49 win over Morgan State
SUMMARY
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks opened up MEAC play with a 66-49 victory over Morgan State on Saturday.
THE SCORE
Morgan State Bears (3-12; 0-1) - 49
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (5-13; 1-0) - 66
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hawks opend up the game with the first two baskets while Morgan State hit two early threes as the teams traded baskets early on with MSU up 12-11 at the 14:05 mark of the first half.
Zion Obanla provided a spark for the Hawks off the bench by making four of his first five shots while forwards
Joseph Locandro and
Dorion Staples combined for 17 points to help the Hawks gain a 31-26 edge by the four minute mark. Morgan State battled back to cut the Hawk lead down to three with under one minute left. A three point play by guard
Michael Teal put the Hawks up by six. A steal and fastbreak finish by Obanla at the end of the half gave UMES a 38-30 lead. Obanla had 10 first half points while Locandro added nine and Staples chipped in with eight points.
UMES maintained momentum with a 7-0 run to open the second half to extend the lead to 45-30 with 15:45 to play. UMES remained ahead entering the final stages of the contest. A basket by Staples and two free throws by
Jaden Cooper made the score 51-39 in favor of the Hawks with nine minutes remaining. Morgan State chopped the lead down to seven, 56-49, with 3:32 to play. UMES managed to build the lead back up to double digits thanks to trips to the line by Staples, Cooper and Beckwith to go up 62-49 with 1:36 to go. Teal found Locandro for an open layup on the next possession to take full control and UMES went on to the 66-49 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
Saturday was the first home game for the Hawks since November 29.
The UMES victory snaps a three-game losing streak to Morgan State.
Dorion Staples led UMES with 16 points.
Joseph Locandro finished with 13 points while
Zion Obanla recorded 10 points and five rebounds.
Morgan State was led by Aflred Worrell Jr's 15 points.
UMES held a 36-14 edge in the paint. The Hawks also held a 13-4 advantage in second chance points.`
UMES held Morgan State scoreless through the final 3:41 of the game.
COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH CLEO HILL, JR
"I think we played a little sloppy tonight but made some key plays when it mattered to stay in control of the game. I thought our guards settled us down when Morgan State made a run in the second half and we were able to come away with the win."
"I thought Michael (Teal) was solid at the point guard position today. His leadership throughout the ballgame helped the guys on the floor remained focused and make winning plays down the stretch."
"We have to play better in traffic. Morgan State did a good job of trapping us and creating pressure so I think we will spend this week focusing more in that area and will need to improve on it."
UP NEXT
The Hawks will have the week off before hosting Howard on Saturday at 4:30 pm.
