Hawks open MEAC Tournament with win against Coppin State
NORFOLK, Virginia — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore held Coppin State to just six points on 2-of-9 shooting during the decisive fourth quarter, and went on to a 62-50 victory in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament.
The No. 8 seed Hawks (9-21) will now face No. 1 seeded Bethune-Cookman, the MEAC regular-season champion on Wednesday (March 11) at Noon.
“I thought our guards did a much better job defensively on the perimeter than the last time we played,” Hawks coach Fred Batchelor said. “Any given night any kid can be in a position to hurt you. I thought we did a good enough job on the defensive end as well as in the second half offensively.
“We played a better second half than we did first half and we had some kids step up. I think you go with your guards particularly this time of year. They had a really good second half and made the difference in us being able to advance.”
Freshman point guard Mya Thomas (Chesapeake, Virginia) playing in her home area, announced her presence in her first MEAC Tournament with a career-high 21 points to go with a pair of assists and two steals.
No. 7 Howard Holds Off No. 10 South Carolina State
NORFOLK, Va., March 10, 2020 – The thing about these 7-vs.-10 games is the longer the lower seed hangs around, the more interesting the final minutes can get.
And South Carolina State, injury-ridden and only six deep, caused a few anxious moments before Howard escaped with a 79-72 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament first-round victory Tuesday afternoon at the Scope Arena.
Jayla Thornton scored 22 points, while Ayonna Williams posted a nice stat line of 17 points, eight assists and five steals as the Bison (16-14) advanced to a meeting with second-seeded Norfolk State in Wednesday’s quarterfinal round at 2 p.m.
South Carolina State concluded its season 3-27.
Courtesy: MEAC
