Complete Game Notes (PDF)
THE GAME
North Carolina Central University has lost two straight in tough fashion after dropping a 68-59 contest to Delaware State on Saturday, but a quick turnaround gives the Eagles ample opportunity to right the ship on track as NCCU continues MEAC play against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in its final home contest before another four-game road swing.
THE SERIES
NCCU and Md. Eastern Shore have met 30 previous times as the Eagles are 14-16 against the Hawks all-time. These two teams have split the last two matchups as NCCU beat UMES 73-71 on Feb. 10, 2010 in Durham, while the Hawks won 73-58 on Jan. 21, 2009. Prior to those two meetings, the last meeting took place twice in February of 1980. UMES won at home 79-58 on Feb. 15, and NCCU won two weeks prior 101-85 on Feb. 1.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE “HAWKS”
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore enters Monday night’s contest with a 3-11 overall record and sit 0-2 in the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) after dropping a 71-69 heartbreaker to South Carolina State after Brandon Riley hit the game-winning layup as time expired stealing the win from the Hawks who led the contest for most of the game. UMES enters the 31st meeting with NCCU on a three-game losing streak and a 2-8 record over its last ten ballgames with losses to Old Dominion, a top five Pittsburgh squad, Colorado, and Oklahoma respectively. The Hawks are coached by Frankie Allen who has compiled a 21-54 record in three seasons, and is 244-345 in over 20 years of collegiate coaching. UMES has three players that are in the top 30 in the MEAC in scoring as redshirt junior Hillary Haley is sixth in the league averaging 15.1 points a game while newcomer to the squad junior Dishawn Bradshaw sits 18th in the conference dropping in an average of 11.9 points per contest. The third leading scorer on the team, Kevin White sits in 30th in the league averaging 8.8 points per game. The senior point guard is fourth in the MEAC in assists with 4.2 helpers and is one of 66 candidates for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award given to the nation’s best point guard. Another player of note forward Tyler Hines is No. 1 in the MEAC in field goal percentage at 61.6% hit 43-of-75 shots in 14 games this season.
UP NEXT
After Monday’s contest the Eagles hit the road for another four-game road swing beginning on Jan. 15 at Coppin State for a Saturday afternoon matinee with tipoff set for approximately 4:00.
LAST MEETING: NCCU-73, UMES-71 (FEB. 10, 2010)
DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) - North Carolina Central University seemed to be in cruise control with less than two minutes left in the first half against the visiting Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore, but the Eagles slipped into a nine-point deficit to open the second stanza before rallying for a 73-71 win over UMES inside McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium on Wednesday night. NCCU freshman forward Dijon Manns poured in a season-high 24 points, including a dominant 16-point effort in the first half, while junior guard C.J. Wilkerson scored the team’s final six points down the stretch to finish with 21 points. The Eagles also received solid contributions from sophomore forward Nick Chasten with 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists, junior guard Vincent Davis with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds, and junior guard P.J. Taylor with a season-high six assists. The victory was the second in a row for NCCU as the Eagles improve to 6-20 on the season. UMES (7-17) was topped by sophomore Hillary Haley with 16 points, followed by junior Tim Burns with 12 points and junior Kevin White with 10 points, seven assists and four steals. NCCU held a nine-point lead (37-28) after a pair of free throws by Davis with 1:43 remaining in the first half. The Eagles missed their final four shots before intermission, while Josh Bright nailed a three-pointer for the Hawks at 1:03 to make the halftime score 37-31 in favor of the home team. UMES stormed out of the locker room to score the first 13 points of the second half to take a stunning 44-37 lead. Dwayne Sims connected on a triple to end the NCCU scoring drought at the 15:40 mark. Still, the Hawks managed to push the advantage to as much as nine points when Mark Robertson made his second three-point basket of the half to make the score 51-42 with 13:47 to play. NCCU responded by scoring the next eight points to trim the deficit to 51-50 at 11:59. From that point on, the future MEAC foes exchanged the lead five times and knotted the score five times for a dramatic finish. A jumper by Wilkerson provided the Eagles with a 69-65 cushion with 2:49 remaining. Moments later, Burns answered for the Hawks with an old-fashioned three-point play to trim the gap to 69-68 at 2:28. After an NCCU turnover, Hailey dialed in from long distance to give UMES a 71-69 edge with 1:28 left. Wilkerson tied the game with a pair of free throws at 1:15. After a missed three-pointer by UMES, Wilkerson was fouled again driving to the basket and made the game-winning free throws with nine seconds remaining. After a timeout by NCCU, a three-point attempt by Hailey missed the mark and the home team celebrated the victory.
