Box Score PRINCESS ANNE, MD. – Despite connecting on just six second-half field goals, junior Karamo Jawara's (Bergen, Norway) layup with 32.6 seconds left and clutch free throw shooting down-the stretch gave North Carolina Central University the cushion it needed to earn its eighth straight win in a hard fought contest, 66-62 over Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday night inside the Hytche Athletic Center in Princess Anne, Md.
 
Over the final 6:21, the maroon and gray went 7-for-8 at the foul line not including two missed free throws with five seconds left with the game in hand.  In fact, over the final four minutes, the stingy NCCU defense held UMES without a field goal, outscoring the Hawks 5-to-2 to earn the win.
 
The Eagles and the Hawks were both scorching hot from the field in the first half and even though NCCU took the early lead, UMES came right back at the first place Eagles taking an 11-10 lead with 13:20 to go in the first frame on MEAC Rookie of the Week Hakeem Baxter's layup.
 
NCCU answered with a 7-0 run capped off by redshirt senior Reggie Groves' 25-foot three-pointer forcing Md. Eastern Shore head coach Frankie Allen to take a timeout. 
 
The Eagles' largest lead in the first frame was eight at 19-11, but the Hawks simply couldn't miss in the first frame going 5-for-7 (71.4 percent) from beyond-the-arc as KyRee Jones's three cut the deficit to two at 23-21 with 8:15 left.
 
UMES ended up tying the game at 27 on Ishaq Pitt's layup and the foul and the two teams went back-and-forth the rest of the way with six ties, while UMES took the lead at 39-38 on Francis Ezeiru's free throw with 1:17 remaining. 
 
Sophomore guard Dante Holmes (Baltimore, Md.) gave the Eagles a two-point lead at 41-39 heading into the locker room with his three-pointer with seven seconds left.
 
The second half was full of drama as both teams cooled off tremendously, as there were six more ties and four lead changes in the final stanza.
 
With 8:48 left, Maryland Eastern Shore took its first lead of the second frame on Pitt's putback layup at 54-52, and that's when Jawara recorded the first of his crucial big plays down the stretch as he got the hoop-and-the-harm to give NCCU the lead back at 55-54 with 7:43 left.
 
On the following possession, a Hawk miscue allowed senior Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) to give the maroon and gray a three-point cushion at 57-54 on his breakaway layup.
 
NCCU led 59-54 with 6:21 left after Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) drilled both of his free throws and that's when UMES made their final move.
 
A Jones three-pointer with 4:02 left from the left corner sent the crowd of 1,917 in attendance back on their feet as the deficit was cut to one at 60-59.
 
After each team missed opportunities, the Hawks Ezeiru gave UMES the lead at 61-60 with 2:08 remaining after banking in both of his free throws.
 
The following possession, after an Ingram offensive rebound, Chapman gave the maroon and gray a 62-61 lead the Eagle defense forced the hard-driving Baxter into an offensive foul, giving  NCCU the chance to take the lead for good.
 
Jawara's layup with 32.6 seconds left on a tremendous feed by senior Alfonzo Houston (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) put the Eagles up 64-61 and the maroon and gray finished the deal from there, escaping for the 66-62 win.
 
Despite going 1-for-9 from-the-field in the second stanza, Ingram finished 5-for-6 from the charity stripe to end the night with a team-high 14 points in the win.   Houston ended the night with 11 points, also shooting 5-for-6 from the foul line, as well as junior Jordan Parks (Queens, N.Y.) who shot 5-for-8 that included a couple of plays above-the-rim.  With one steal in the game, Chapman became the fifth Eagle to record 150 or more steals in a career.
 
UMES (3-16, 1-6 MEAC) was led by Baxter who finished with a game-high 17 points, but managed just five points in the second half on 1-for-4 shooting, as Snyder ended the evening with 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Ezeiru contributed 11 points in the loss.  Jones, the Hawks leading scorer, struggled against the Eagle defense going 3-for-13 from-the-field, including a 3-for-9 effort from deep, as he was 1-for-5 from behind-the-arc in the final half.
 
NCCU (16-5, 7-1 MEAC) directs its attention to another crucial two-game homestand as the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman come calling on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m. from McDougald-McLendon Gym, followed up by a Monday, Feb. 10 rematch with Florida A&M at 7:30 p.m.
 
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