MARTIN, Tennessee -- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team had to battle to the final buzzer, but the Hawks prevailed over the University of Tennessee-Martin for a 63-60 win on Tuesday night. UMES improved to 8-8 with their third straight victory to close out 2014, all coming on the road.
In the first ever meeting between the two schools, UMES and UT-Martin fought to a stalemate in the first half. Both offenses got off to slow starts, scoring 20 combined points in the opening ten minutes. Devon Walker (Philadelphia, Pa.) closed the half with a nice reverse layup after a backdoor cut to knot the game at 26-26. After lighting the nets on fire from the three-point line in their past two games, UMES had to find other ways to score as they went cold from long range. The Hawks were just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc in the first half and 3-of-11 for the game, with Walker contributing all three makes.
UMES controlled the start of the second half, opening up a decent cushion with their largest lead at 52-44 with seven minutes left in regulation. UT-Martin refused to go quietly, going on a 10-1 run to take a lead at 54-53 on two free throws from Twymond Howard. For the final four minutes, the two teams traded buckets and free throws with eight lead changes down the stretch.
With a minute to play, Devin Martin (Baltimore, Md.) came up with big plays to scrap out a win. Down by a point, UMES turned to Martin to create a shot, knocking down a mid-range jumper from the right baseline to take a 61-60 lead with 41 seconds to go. After a crucial steal by Mark Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C.), Martin sunk two free throws to make it a three-point game. UT-Martin missed three chances to tie, including Alex Anderson's attempt at the buzzer which just kicked off the rim.
Mike Myers (Camden, N.J.) put in a workmanlike effort down low, posting his second straight double-double with 14 poitns and 10 rebounds. Perhaps most impressively, Myers successfully passed out of double-teams for a career-high six assists and zero turnovers. Walker led the team with 16 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-4 from deep. Martin finished with nine points, including 5-of-5 from the free throw line with two clutch makes with 18 seconds remaining.
UMES closes the calendar year with a three-game winning streak with road wins at St. Bonaventure, Duquesne and UT-Martin. It is the first three-game winning streak for UMES since the 2010-2011 season. The Hawks have won seven of their last nine games to pull to an even .500 record for the year. This is the latest that UMES has sported a record at .500 or better since the 2001-02 season.
The Hawks will enjoy a week off, next playing on Wednesday, January 7 at N.J.I.T. Tip-off for the first game of 2015 will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Fleisher Center in Newark, N.J. The matchup with the Highlanders will be the final non-conference game of the season before UMES returns to league play against Morgan State.
Box Score
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
O'Neale Helps Baylor Bears Rout Norfolk State 92-51
WACO, Texas -- Royce O'Neale scored 15 points of his career-best 23 points in the opening minutes of the second half to lead No. 22 Baylor to a 92-51 win over Norfolk State on Tuesday night.
Rico Gathers added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Baylor (11-1). Taurean Prince and Al Freeman scored 13 each.
Jeff Short had 23 points and D'Shon Taylor scored 11 for Norfolk State (9-6). Rashid Gaston had 10 rebounds and six points.
O'Neale had a 3 to open the second-half scoring, and then with Baylor holding a 40-29 lead, he took over. After a dunk by Gathers and one free throw by Johnathan Motley, O'Neale hit 3s on Baylor's next four possessions. After Lester Medford converted a 3-point play, the Bears led 55-29 with 14:41 left in the game and the game was effectively over.
O'Neale scored five consecutive points as Baylor took an early 12-8 lead. From there, Norfolk went on an 11-2 run - spurred by 3s from Taylor and Short - and took a 19-14 lead with 11:31 to play, prompting Baylor coach Scott Drew to call a timeout.
On the Bears' next possession, Motley was called for an offensive foul as he was starting a short drive to the basket. After that, however, Baylor went on an 11-2 run of its own to take the lead back, 25-21, at the 5:50 mark. O'Neale hit a 3 and Prince converted a three-point play during the stint.
Prince hit a 3 in front of the Norfolk bench at the buzzer to give Baylor a 32-27 halftime lead.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor's 92 points were a season high surpassing its previous high of 80 (vs. McNeese State, 11/14/14).
• Baylor's 60 second-half points were the most in any half by the Bears this season.
• Baylor's 34 field goals made were a season high surpassing its previous high of 30 (vs. McNeese State, 11/14/14).
• Baylor set a season high with 28 assists surpassing the previous total of 23 (McNeese St., 11/14/14).
• Baylor set a season high with 23 offensive rebounds surpassing the previous total of 22 (vs. Texas Southern, 12/1/14).
• Baylor's eight blocks matched a season high (vs. SFA, 11/24/14).
• Baylor's 41-point margin of victory was the largest loss suffered by Norfolk State since the Spartans lost to the University of Florida, 84-50 (3/18/12).
• Royce O'Neale scored a career-high 23 points passing his previous high of 22 (at Vanderbilt, 12/4/14).
• O'Neale's 23 points tied for the most by a Baylor player this season (Gathers, 23 vs. Texas Southern, 12/1/14).
• O'Neale hit a career-high five 3-point field goals, passing his previous high of four, accomplished four times.
• O'Neale reached double figures (23) for the fourth time this season and for the 14th time in his career. Baylor is 12-2 when he scores at least 10 points. • O'Neale led the Bears in scoring for the third time this season and the sixth time in his career.
• Rico Gathers posted his Big 12-leading 6th double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds; it was the 13th of his career.
• Gathers reached double figures in rebounds for the 10th time this season and the 24th time of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
60: Second-half points for Baylor, turning a five-point halftime advantage into a a 41-point victory.
Box Score | Notes | USATSI Photo Gallery
COURTESY BAYLOR UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELAITONS
Rico Gathers added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Baylor (11-1). Taurean Prince and Al Freeman scored 13 each.
Jeff Short had 23 points and D'Shon Taylor scored 11 for Norfolk State (9-6). Rashid Gaston had 10 rebounds and six points.
O'Neale had a 3 to open the second-half scoring, and then with Baylor holding a 40-29 lead, he took over. After a dunk by Gathers and one free throw by Johnathan Motley, O'Neale hit 3s on Baylor's next four possessions. After Lester Medford converted a 3-point play, the Bears led 55-29 with 14:41 left in the game and the game was effectively over.
O'Neale scored five consecutive points as Baylor took an early 12-8 lead. From there, Norfolk went on an 11-2 run - spurred by 3s from Taylor and Short - and took a 19-14 lead with 11:31 to play, prompting Baylor coach Scott Drew to call a timeout.
On the Bears' next possession, Motley was called for an offensive foul as he was starting a short drive to the basket. After that, however, Baylor went on an 11-2 run of its own to take the lead back, 25-21, at the 5:50 mark. O'Neale hit a 3 and Prince converted a three-point play during the stint.
Prince hit a 3 in front of the Norfolk bench at the buzzer to give Baylor a 32-27 halftime lead.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor's 92 points were a season high surpassing its previous high of 80 (vs. McNeese State, 11/14/14).
• Baylor's 60 second-half points were the most in any half by the Bears this season.
• Baylor's 34 field goals made were a season high surpassing its previous high of 30 (vs. McNeese State, 11/14/14).
• Baylor set a season high with 28 assists surpassing the previous total of 23 (McNeese St., 11/14/14).
• Baylor set a season high with 23 offensive rebounds surpassing the previous total of 22 (vs. Texas Southern, 12/1/14).
• Baylor's eight blocks matched a season high (vs. SFA, 11/24/14).
• Baylor's 41-point margin of victory was the largest loss suffered by Norfolk State since the Spartans lost to the University of Florida, 84-50 (3/18/12).
• Royce O'Neale scored a career-high 23 points passing his previous high of 22 (at Vanderbilt, 12/4/14).
• O'Neale's 23 points tied for the most by a Baylor player this season (Gathers, 23 vs. Texas Southern, 12/1/14).
• O'Neale hit a career-high five 3-point field goals, passing his previous high of four, accomplished four times.
• O'Neale reached double figures (23) for the fourth time this season and for the 14th time in his career. Baylor is 12-2 when he scores at least 10 points. • O'Neale led the Bears in scoring for the third time this season and the sixth time in his career.
• Rico Gathers posted his Big 12-leading 6th double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds; it was the 13th of his career.
• Gathers reached double figures in rebounds for the 10th time this season and the 24th time of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
60: Second-half points for Baylor, turning a five-point halftime advantage into a a 41-point victory.
Box Score | Notes | USATSI Photo Gallery
COURTESY BAYLOR UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELAITONS
Alabama State Hornets Hold Off Fort Valley State
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Bobby Brown led a trio of double-digit scoring Hornets with 16 points as Alabama State finished the pre-conference part of their schedule with a 76-65 win over Fort Valley State.
It was a game that has been a lot like several of ASU's games as they had a hot-shooting opening half and then their shooting fell off in the second half.
"It was a tough ball game," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said. "Coming in off the Christmas break we needed a game before conference play and we wanted to try and work on some things. I'm certainly glad we got to play one because if it had been a SWAC game we probably would have lost tonight."
"We are trying to be a better team offensively in our half court and that is something we have to consistently work on. We didn't shoot free throws well and it was just a tough ball game overall."
Wendell Lewis scored 13 points and Luther Page came off the bench to score 11. ASU finished the game shooting 44 percent for the game, and that includes 36 percent from beyond the three point line. ASU also struggled from the free throw line hitting 14 of their 27 attempts (52%).
The Hornets (4-5) looked to break open the game coming out of the locker room in the second half outscoring FVSU 13-4 to build their largest lead of the game at 54-34.
After that the Wildcats (0-8) fought their way back into the game and cut the lead to nine points on a couple of occasions, the last at 69-60 after a three point field goal from Ralph Wilson, who scored 13 points.
Derrick Spear scored a game-high 18 points for FVSU and Tyrone Brinson came off the bench to score 14 as the visitors finished the game shooting 44 percent from the field.
FVSU came into the game only averaging five three point field goals per game, but every time the Hornets would pull away FVSU would sink a long range jumper, finishing the game with eight.
"We have to get better defensively," Jackson said. "We gave up 60-something points tonight, almost 70, and we have to get better defensively."
"Our wings have to keep the players out of the lane we have to really work on that. I think our bigs are playing decent around the basket, and we have to rebound the ball better. We have always been a good rebounding team as well as defensively, so we have to continue to work on these things that are going to allow us to have success when our offense is not working that well. You have to be able to stop somebody on the defensive end."
The Hornets used a 52 percent shooting performance in the opening half on its way to building a 41-30 halftime lead. Part of that hot-shooting was knocking down five of their 10 three point field goals.
Brown led the way with eight points, including opening the game with a three-point field goal and being fouled on the play. With the free throw it was the Hornets first four-point play of the season.
Lewis also scored eight points in the opening half and Robinson added seven.
ASU's defense held the Wildcats to 39 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes, but the visitors, started hitting three pointers early and hit four in the first half to stay close. Wilson and Spear had six points each to lead FVSU.
ASU will continue its three-game home stand and will jump into conference play hosting Grambling Saturday, Jan. 3 at 5 p.m. Check bamastatesports.com for all your up-to-date basketball news leading to the game.
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
It was a game that has been a lot like several of ASU's games as they had a hot-shooting opening half and then their shooting fell off in the second half.
"It was a tough ball game," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said. "Coming in off the Christmas break we needed a game before conference play and we wanted to try and work on some things. I'm certainly glad we got to play one because if it had been a SWAC game we probably would have lost tonight."
"We are trying to be a better team offensively in our half court and that is something we have to consistently work on. We didn't shoot free throws well and it was just a tough ball game overall."
Wendell Lewis scored 13 points and Luther Page came off the bench to score 11. ASU finished the game shooting 44 percent for the game, and that includes 36 percent from beyond the three point line. ASU also struggled from the free throw line hitting 14 of their 27 attempts (52%).
The Hornets (4-5) looked to break open the game coming out of the locker room in the second half outscoring FVSU 13-4 to build their largest lead of the game at 54-34.
After that the Wildcats (0-8) fought their way back into the game and cut the lead to nine points on a couple of occasions, the last at 69-60 after a three point field goal from Ralph Wilson, who scored 13 points.
Derrick Spear scored a game-high 18 points for FVSU and Tyrone Brinson came off the bench to score 14 as the visitors finished the game shooting 44 percent from the field.
FVSU came into the game only averaging five three point field goals per game, but every time the Hornets would pull away FVSU would sink a long range jumper, finishing the game with eight.
"We have to get better defensively," Jackson said. "We gave up 60-something points tonight, almost 70, and we have to get better defensively."
"Our wings have to keep the players out of the lane we have to really work on that. I think our bigs are playing decent around the basket, and we have to rebound the ball better. We have always been a good rebounding team as well as defensively, so we have to continue to work on these things that are going to allow us to have success when our offense is not working that well. You have to be able to stop somebody on the defensive end."
The Hornets used a 52 percent shooting performance in the opening half on its way to building a 41-30 halftime lead. Part of that hot-shooting was knocking down five of their 10 three point field goals.
Brown led the way with eight points, including opening the game with a three-point field goal and being fouled on the play. With the free throw it was the Hornets first four-point play of the season.
Lewis also scored eight points in the opening half and Robinson added seven.
ASU's defense held the Wildcats to 39 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes, but the visitors, started hitting three pointers early and hit four in the first half to stay close. Wilson and Spear had six points each to lead FVSU.
ASU will continue its three-game home stand and will jump into conference play hosting Grambling Saturday, Jan. 3 at 5 p.m. Check bamastatesports.com for all your up-to-date basketball news leading to the game.
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Hawaii 'Bows Outlast Prairie View A&M, 76-68
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Mike Thomas tied his career-high of 14 points to lead five players in double figures and the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team outlasted Prairie View A&M 76-68 on Tuesday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Quincy Smith took advantage of his opportunity off the bench for the 'Bows (12-4), posting 10 points on 4-5 shooting with Isaac Fleming contributing another 10 points of bench scoring. Negus Webster-Chan had 10 points and six rebounds before going down with an ankle sprain early in the second half.
Montreal Scott was the game's top scorer, posting a game-high 27 points and hitting five three-pointers to keep Prairie View (2-11) in the game.
Box Score | Box Score (html)
Hawai'i used a 10-0 run to break open a close game in the second half. Garrett Nevels, scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday, had six of his 10 points in the run as UH took a 68-58 lead with 3:28 to play.
The 'Bows looked prime to run away with the game early in the second half, but a 10-1 Panther run tied the game. Thomas ended the run with a three-pointer and back-to-back alley-oop dunks served up by Roderick Bobbitt helped UH regain the lead at 57-56 with 7:40 to play. Bobbitt struggled from the floor but finished with game highs of nine assists and four steals.
It was another slow start for the 'Bows who fell behind early in the first half. Karim York's three-pointer help the Panthers to a 6-0 spurt and a 12-6 lead. The 'Bows wouldn't be held down for long as a pair of Bobbitt steals and three-pointers from Smith and Fleming spearheaded a 10-0 run to put UH in front for the first time.
The turnover bug would hit the 'Bows in the first half as four miscues over a three minute span led to some easy Panther buckets. Prairie View would come all the way back when a Jayrn Johnson three-pointer tied the game at 34-34. Jovanovic would close the half with a baseline jumper to give UH a 38-36 lead at the break.
The 'Bows will open conference play hosting Cal Poly on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Start time at the Stan Sheriff Center is set for 7:00 p.m.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
Quincy Smith took advantage of his opportunity off the bench for the 'Bows (12-4), posting 10 points on 4-5 shooting with Isaac Fleming contributing another 10 points of bench scoring. Negus Webster-Chan had 10 points and six rebounds before going down with an ankle sprain early in the second half.
Montreal Scott was the game's top scorer, posting a game-high 27 points and hitting five three-pointers to keep Prairie View (2-11) in the game.
Box Score | Box Score (html)
Hawai'i used a 10-0 run to break open a close game in the second half. Garrett Nevels, scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday, had six of his 10 points in the run as UH took a 68-58 lead with 3:28 to play.
The 'Bows looked prime to run away with the game early in the second half, but a 10-1 Panther run tied the game. Thomas ended the run with a three-pointer and back-to-back alley-oop dunks served up by Roderick Bobbitt helped UH regain the lead at 57-56 with 7:40 to play. Bobbitt struggled from the floor but finished with game highs of nine assists and four steals.
It was another slow start for the 'Bows who fell behind early in the first half. Karim York's three-pointer help the Panthers to a 6-0 spurt and a 12-6 lead. The 'Bows wouldn't be held down for long as a pair of Bobbitt steals and three-pointers from Smith and Fleming spearheaded a 10-0 run to put UH in front for the first time.
The turnover bug would hit the 'Bows in the first half as four miscues over a three minute span led to some easy Panther buckets. Prairie View would come all the way back when a Jayrn Johnson three-pointer tied the game at 34-34. Jovanovic would close the half with a baseline jumper to give UH a 38-36 lead at the break.
The 'Bows will open conference play hosting Cal Poly on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Start time at the Stan Sheriff Center is set for 7:00 p.m.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
Harris-Stowe holds on to beat Gold Nuggets 59-58
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| Photo Gallery: XU vs. Harris-Stowe women's basketball in XU Holiday Classic Photos by Yamlak Tsega |
The Lady Hornets (4-5) earned a split of their two games in this event. The Gold Nuggets (7-8) lost both their games and stretched their losing streak to four, their longest since February 2007.
Harris-Stowe twice led by 17 points, the second time at 49-32 when Leah Hamilton made two free throws with 7:54 remaining. Xavier scored the final 10 points but missed a free throw and two field goals in the final nine seconds.
Hamilton scored 15 points and KeAris Vaughn 11 for Harris-Stowe.
Vinnie Briggs scored 16 points for the Gold Nuggets, and Trana Hopkins had 12. Xavier's season scoring leader, Whitney Gathright, had a season-low six points and was 2-of-12 from the floor.
Harris-Stowe outscored Xavier 8-1 in the final six minutes of the first half to take a 27-22 halftime lead. Wesley's 3-pointer at 3:18 put the Lady Hornets ahead to stay, 22-21.
Harris-Stowe outshot the Gold Nuggets 33.9 to 28.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 49-47.
It's the first time since January 2010 that the Gold Nuggets lost consecutive home games.
Xavier will play its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Talladega.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director Concordia-Selma shocks Alcorn State 79-70
It was the first win over a Division I opponent for the Hornets (5-7), who play in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
Anthony Jones had 19 points and Tedarius Neely and Guy Barnes had 10 points apiece for Concordia, which led 38-33 at halftime.
Marquis Vance had 24 points for Braves (1-11) with Leantwan Luckett adding 23 and Reginald Johnson 13.
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Baker, NMSU Aggies slash past the TSU Tigers, 54-52
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – Sophomore Ian Baker slashed to the basket and laid it in with 2.2 seconds remaining in the second half to propel New Mexico State past Texas Southern 54-52 Tuesday evening at the Pan American Center.
“We beat a good team,” NM State head coach Marvin Menzies said following the game. “Our guys took a challenge of being down by eight at the half and displayed guts. We just need to continue to preach and teach and get these guys better. We took a major mental step tonight and I’m proud of them.”
The Tigers, who have defeated the likes of Michigan State and Kansas State, opened up an early lead and a David Blanks layup at 12:39 in the first stanza made it 14-5. From there, however, the Aggies fought back.
Over the ensuing 12 minutes NM State gradually cut into TSU’s lead and with 29 seconds remaining in the half Jalyn Pennie grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in to bring the Aggies within striking distance. The Tigers went into halftime with a 33-25 lead.
NM State opened the second half with an 11-4 run and a Pascal Siakam dunk at 15:07 brought the Aggies to within one at 37-36.
Three minutes later Baker tiptoed the baseline and laid it in to give the Aggies a 43-41 lead – their first lead since the 19:41 mark in the first half.
Siakam scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Baker chipped in 11 points and hauled in five boards.
It was a tail of two halves for NM State. In the opening stanza the Aggies struggled to defend Tigers’ offense. TSU shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field, however, in the second half the Aggies held the Tigers to 45 percent (9-of-20) from the floor and caused seven turnovers.
The Aggies found success in front of the basket with 24 points in the paint and 32 rebounds.
Madarious Gibbs scored 15 points to lead TSU (3-10).
It was also Menzies 158th win at NM State and sits at third all-time on the Aggies career wins list.
NM State (6-9) returns to the hardwood Saturday, Jan. 3 and plays host to UC Irvine. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
COURTESY NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
“We beat a good team,” NM State head coach Marvin Menzies said following the game. “Our guys took a challenge of being down by eight at the half and displayed guts. We just need to continue to preach and teach and get these guys better. We took a major mental step tonight and I’m proud of them.”
The Tigers, who have defeated the likes of Michigan State and Kansas State, opened up an early lead and a David Blanks layup at 12:39 in the first stanza made it 14-5. From there, however, the Aggies fought back.
Over the ensuing 12 minutes NM State gradually cut into TSU’s lead and with 29 seconds remaining in the half Jalyn Pennie grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in to bring the Aggies within striking distance. The Tigers went into halftime with a 33-25 lead.
NM State opened the second half with an 11-4 run and a Pascal Siakam dunk at 15:07 brought the Aggies to within one at 37-36.
Three minutes later Baker tiptoed the baseline and laid it in to give the Aggies a 43-41 lead – their first lead since the 19:41 mark in the first half.
Siakam scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Baker chipped in 11 points and hauled in five boards.
It was a tail of two halves for NM State. In the opening stanza the Aggies struggled to defend Tigers’ offense. TSU shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field, however, in the second half the Aggies held the Tigers to 45 percent (9-of-20) from the floor and caused seven turnovers.
The Aggies found success in front of the basket with 24 points in the paint and 32 rebounds.
Madarious Gibbs scored 15 points to lead TSU (3-10).
It was also Menzies 158th win at NM State and sits at third all-time on the Aggies career wins list.
NM State (6-9) returns to the hardwood Saturday, Jan. 3 and plays host to UC Irvine. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
COURTESY NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
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