Jan. 27, 2010

Final Stats

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Lady Hawks (7-9) proved that it is hard to beat a team twice in the same season as they defeated the North Carolina Central University Lady Eagles (6-13), 64-43, Wednesday night in the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center, holding the Lady Eagles winless on the road.

The Lady Eagles have struggled to find their rhythm on the road and tonight wasn't any different. Turnovers proved costly for NCCU as they committed 32 turnovers, in which the Lady Hawks capitalized on with 25 points. UMES had 15 steals to add to the Lady Eagles' troubles on offense.

Two student-athletes scored in double-figures to lead the Lady Eagles' offensive efforts. Joanna Miller led the way with 18 points, scoring 10 in the first half. Danielle DeBerry, who picked up the pace in the second half, finished with 10 points off a 5-for-8 shooting night. She also led in assists with three.

As a team, the Lady Eagles shot 35.6 percent from the floor, 21.4 percent from 3-point range and 57.1 percent from the charity stripe. NCCU attempted only 14 free throws, hitting eight of them. Miller went 4-for-5 from the line, while Blaire Houston was 3-for-4. She'Leah Battle was the only other Lady Eagle to hit a foul shot.

Even with the struggles on offense, the Lady Eagles managed to stay in the rebounding battle, finishing just four boards shy of the Lady Hawks, who grabbed 35 rebounds on the night. Latoya Bennett dominated on the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds. She has put up double-digit rebounds in four of her last five games.

Defensively, NCCU held the Lady Hawks' power player April McBride, who averages 16.9 points per game, to just three points on the night and kept her off the boards, where she grabbed five rebounds. The NCCU defense forced 22 turnovers and held the Lady Hawks under 50 percent from the field.

Chelsea Sanders and Casey Morton filled McBride's shoes as they both notched double-digits in scoring with 18 and 15, respectively. Sanders went 5-for-12 from the floor, while Morton was 6-for-11. As a team, UMES shot 45.1 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from behind the arc and 59.1 percent from the charity stripe.

UMES controlled the tip, but it didn't take long for NCCU to gain momentum as they quickly went up 5-0 off the hands of Miller, which was the Lady Eagles' largest lead of the game. UMES responded back with six consecutive points to take its first lead of the game.

The first eight minutes and 49 seconds was a battle as the game saw one tie score and three lead changes, but from the 8:49 mark on, UMES was in sole possession of the ballgame, going on a 22-9 run to close out the half with a 12-point lead, up 35-23. Miller and Morton each had 10 points at intermission.

UMES picked up the pace and used its pressure defense to keep the Lady Eagles off the board. The second half saw the Lady Hawks go up by as many as 23 at the 4:14 mark off a 25-15 run. Within that run, the Lady Eagles cut the deficit to as low as nine at the 18:02 mark before the Lady Hawks extended it to 20 with 9:08 left.

Miller sunk a 3-pointer at the 8:31 mark to get the Lady Eagles within 17, but that was as close as NCCU would come as UMES managed to stay ahead by 20 or more. Back-to-back foul shots by Houston with 53 seconds left in regulation cut the UMES lead to 19, but a jumper by Alicia Green with 34 seconds left put the finishing touches on a 21-point win for the Lady Hawks.

NCCU dropped to 6-13 on the season, while UMES improved to 7-9. The Lady Eagles continue to fight for that first road win as they stand winless at 0-10 on the road this season. UMES stands at 3-1 all-time against NCCU.

NCCU has started its journey on a six-game road slate with four road games remaining until they return home. The Lady Eagles return to the hardwood this weekend when they travel to the state of Georgia to battle Savannah State University on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. in a rematch from earlier this season. Savannah State has the advantage in the series, leading 5-3 going into the matchup.

For more information on Lady Eagle basketball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.