Season comes to an end for the Hawks with overtime loss to North Carolina Central
 
 

SUMMARY


The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks were unable to advance in the MEAC Tournament after a 83-76 overtime loss to North Carolina Central on Thursday.
 

 
THE SCORE

No. 6 Seed - Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (9-23) – 76
No. 3 Seed – North Carolina Central Eagles (13-17) - 83
 
 

 
GAME BREAKDOWN
 
 
UMES opened the game with a midrange jumper from Michael Teal and a fastbreak dunk by Dorion Staples. Free throws from Justin Monden and a dunk down low by Christopher Flippin had the Hawks up early, 8-2, through the first four minutes of play.

 
After the first media timeout, Monden hit from beyond the arc. Zion Obanla knocked down two free throws to extend the Hawk lead to 13-4. Joseph Locandro knocked down another three for the Hawks as UMES built a double digit advantage, 16-4, by the 12:32 mark. Locandro followed up a missed layup on the next Hawk possession to up the lead to 18-4.

 
UMES built their lead up to as many as 15, 33-18, after another Locandro three ball from the corner with 5:19 left in the half. NCCU slowly battled back. A midrange jumper followed by a three pointer from Dionte Johnson cut the Hawk lead down to seven, 34-27, by the 2:41 mark. NCCU continued to build momentum in the final 120 seconds of the half. A three point play by Greg Lattimore brought the Eagles to with four, 38-34. Late free throws from Obanla kept the Hawks ahead, 40-34, at half.

 
A 7-0 run by the Eagles capped off by a Dionte Johnson basket gave NCCU its first lead 41-40 in the early stages of the second half. NCCU extended the lead to three with a driving layup by Takeo Carpenter. The Eagles managed to go ahead by as many as 10 in the half. Down 68-58, UMES battled back with a three ball from Levi Beckwith followed by a series of trips to the line by Obanla and Staples helped the Hawks pull to within four. A steal by the Hawks at midcourt and a finish by Teal brought UMES to within two, 72-70, with 59 seconds to play.


Coming out of a NCCU timeout, UMES forced a turnover by the Eagles. Beckwith came up with the loose ball and was fouled. Beckwith made the first free throw and missed the second but the rebound was corralled by Flippin sparking a timeout by Hawk head coach Cleo Hill, Jr. with 26.7 seconds left. A three point attempt by the Hawks on the ensuing possession came up short and was rebounded by the Eagles with 8.6 seconds left. After two made free throws by the Eagles, the Hawks pushed the ball up the court and found an open Staples who drained the three ball to send the game into overtime.

 
The extra time proved to go the Eagles' way. NCCU opened the extra frame with a three ball. The Hawks only field goal came on a drive from Staples. Four straight makes from the line by Johnson help seal the seven point win for the Eagles.
 
 
 
 

 
BY THE NUMBERS

 
The Hawks were led by a season-high 21 points along with eight rebounds from Zion Obanla. Dorion Staples scored 14 points. Justin Monden added 13 points followed by 12 points from Joseph Locandro.

 
Dionte Johnson led NCCU with 26 points which included a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line. Gage Lattimore added 18 points and eight rebounds.

 
The Hawks lost all three contests against NCCU this season.

 
NCCU held a 29-20 edge in points scored off turnovers.

 
NCCU advanced to play No. 7 seed Delaware State on Friday at 8 pm.
 
 

 
QUOTES FROM UMES HEAD COACH CLEO HILL, JR

 
"We fought throughout the ballgame. I thought we started out extremely well and then became a little carless with the basketball. I think we had too many defensive lapses and let them back into the game by halftime. We fell behind in the second half but responded with toughness to force overtime. In the end, they did a better job of executing at the right times."

 
"I do feel like we had a great chance to win this game and make a statement at the tournament. We did some good things this year as a team but I do think we underachieved. I think some of the things that hurt us today in the game are the same things that have been holding us back all year."

 
"I am proud of the effort and dedication this team displayed this season, We had a lot of upperclassman who provided leadership for us and now we'll turn our focus towards recruiting the right mix of guys who can come in here and make an impact."