Morgan State pulls away from the Hawks down the stretch


SUMMARY

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks faded away down the stretch in a 79-71 road loss to Morgan State on Saturday



THE SCORE

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (8-17; 4-4) - 71
Morgan State Bears {10-13; 5-2) - 79



THE BREAKDOWN


Teams traded runs in the early stages of Saturday's MEAC game in Baltimore. The Bears of Morgan State opened the game on a 6-0 run before the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore responded with a 7-0 run. The Bears bounced back with an 8-0 run. Back to back baskets by UMES forward Dorion Staples settled the Bears momentum and sparked a 9-0 scoring run for the Hawks. Trailing by a slim margin for the majority of the first half, UMES finally grabbed a lead, 35-34, on a Zion Obanla drive with 90 seconds remaining until halftime. The Bears managed to take a one point lead at the half on a dunk by Marland Harris.


UMES shooters got off to a slow start in the second half, making just two of their first nine attempts as the Bears managed to go ahead by four with 14:30 to go. Staples sparked the Hawks again with back to back three pointers to put his team up 51-51 at the 12:10 mark. The teams continued to trade baskets. Tied at 61-61, UMES guard Michael Teal hit a midrange shot while drawing a foul. After a Teal free throw, UMES led by three with 5:34 to play. 


Alfred Worrell provided the response for Morgan State with a steal and two free throws to spark a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead. UMES never fully recovered and managed just one field goal over a span of three minutes. With a cooled off UMES offense, MSU built their lead up to 74-66 with 1:22 left on the clock and remained in control on the way to a 79-71 win.



BY THE NUMBERS


The lead changed 10 times and there were seven ties in Saturday's game.

Saturday's result is the fourth straight loss for UMES.

Michael Teal and Dorion Staples led the Hawks with 16 points each.

Both teams were efficient with their possessions. UMES committed just eight turnovers while MSU recorded six giveaways.

Alfred Worrell led the Bears with a game-high 24 points. Marland Harris had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

MSU is 7-0 this season when leading at halftime.



NEXT GAME

The Hawks will have a week of practice before traveling to Howard next Saturday.