PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore grabbed their third straight win on Saturday as they defeated the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Seahawks 79-43.
The win secured the team’s first winning streak of at least three games since the 2016-17 season.
“I thought St Mary’s had a great game plan tonight. They really held the ball and slowed the game down and played a ton of zone,” head coach Jason Crafton said. “After a slow start, we did a great job outrebounding them and sharing the ball in spots to get the win.”
The Seahawks were able to keep the game close in the opening 10 minutes. The Shore (5-5) held just an 11-10 advantage after the first 10 minutes had been played. Eastern Shore would begin to pull away after that with 10 straight points.
Senior Nathaniel Pollard, Jr. made a layup at the 8:36 mark to put the squad up three. Junior Kevon Voyles and senior Mike Mensah each hit a 3-pointer after that to make the score 19-10. Voyles then got a steal and a layup to put the team up 21-10 with 7:17 on the clock.
Maryland Eastern Shore had built their lead up to 28-16 with four minutes left in the half. They would then score 12 straight to grab a stranglehold on the contest that was started with a layup by senior Zion Styles and ended at the 1:02 mark with a layup from senior Mayowa Akinsanya. They would take a 40-19 lead into the locker room.
In the opening two minutes of the second half, the teams traded points until the Hawks led 45-23. The Shore would then go on a 13-4 run to lead 58-27 with 11:31 remaining following a pair of free throws from senior Donchevell “Tuka” Nugent.
The final ten minutes saw the Hawks put a bow on their wire to wire win as they led by 30 for most of the waning moments.
Pollard, Jr. followed his double-double in the last game with 16 points and eight rebounds. Junior Dom London was also in double figures as he finished with 14 points. All in all, 10 different players scored for the Hawks.
Styles led the team on the glass with a game-high nine rebounds. Junior Da’Shawn Phillip dished out six assists to lead the game in that category.
Eastern Shore will not play another game for nine days as their next contest will be on December 20 at Charlotte. The team will be looking to remain undefeated in the month of December on that night.
“We still need to improve on both ends of the floor, so we are looking forward to some intense practices to prepare for Charlotte,” Crafton said.
Courtesy: Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics
