MEAC TOURNAMENT: UMES Lady Hawks Pull Off Opening Round Upset Over Norfok State

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women’s basketball team came into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament as the No. 11 seed and pulled off the big upset on the women’s side as they knocked off Norfolk State University (NSU), 70-66, inside the Norfolk Scope Arena.

With the win, Maryland Eastern Shore moved to 9-20 overall while the Spartans’ 2013-14 campaign came to an end as they finished 12-16 on the season.

Junior guard Shawnee Sweeney (Chester, Va.) had a team-high 18 points, including 4-of-7 from downtown, while TeAmber Burke (Washington, N.C.) notched 17 points and a team-high four assists in the victory.

Over four minutes into the second period, the Spartans opened on a 16-4 run to increase their halftime lead, 45-32, the largest of the game. In the next five minutes, Maryland Eastern Shore fought back as they cut the deficit to three, 49-46, after going on a 14-4 run. The Spartans withstood UMES rally as they went on another run, 7-3, to create separation, but the Lady Hawks continued to claw away at the lead.

In the final moments, Maryland Eastern Shore reclaimed the lead for the first time since the 3:20 mark back in the first period after a layup from Alexis Udoji (Randolph, Mass.), 65-64. At this moment, the Lady Hawks matured before the UMES faithful eyes as they nailed 5-of-6 free-throws down the stretch to seal the upset, 70-66.

Other notable Hawk performances included Ashleigh Claybrooks (Manassas, Va.) coming off the bench scoring 13 points, including 6-of-8 from the floor, whereas Jessica Long (Fort Washington, Md.) added eight points in the upset win.

Nearly eight minutes into the game, both teams were deadlocked, 7-7, until the Spartans went on a 6-0 run to take the lead, 13-7. The Lady Hawks answered with a 10-0 run of their own to regain the lead, 17-13, with less than seven minutes to go before halftime. Within the next five minutes, NSU reclaimed the lead, 23-20, after a layup from the Spartans’ Quineshia Leonard. In the waning minutes, Maryland Eastern Shore trailed, 29-25, until a jumper from Claybrooks, as time expired, cut the halftime deficit, 29-27.

For the Spartans, Rae Corbo had a game-high 24 points while Koryn Lawrence netted 14 points in the loss.

With today’s victory, the Lady Hawks take two days off in preparation to face the No. 3 seed, Coppin State University (CSU). Tip-off is slated for noon (EST).

For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visit www.umeshawks.com.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION