PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore showed they belonged on the court with No. 25 Pittsburgh in the first half trailing by just six at the break and sticking within single digits into the second half.
But the second half was another story as the Hawks fell 92-58 at the Petersen Event Center.
Junior forward Bakari Copeland scored a career-high 23 points and pulled down a rebound. His 16 first-half points went a long way toward keep the Hawks (3-13, 0-2 MEAC) in striking distance of the Panthers at the break 39-33.
Dominique Elliott played strong on the inside along with Copeland, with 12 points and 10 rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting. Elliott left the game with 4:14 remaining after turning his ankle. His status for the next contest is unknown.
Senior co-captain Devin Martin managed just 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting, breaking a streak of four straight games with at least 23 points. Martin drew a lot of attention on the perimeter, including some double teams, as the Panthers decided not to let him beat them.
Pittsburgh outscored UMES 53-25 after the break and four players — Jamel Artis (14), Michael Young (14, Shelton Jeter (13) and Sterling Smith (12) — reached double digits for the Panthers.
Second Half Dry Spell Dooms NSU in Loss at Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A cold spell in the second half doomed the Norfolk State men’s basketball team to a 68-49 loss to Alabama on Saturday afternoon at the Coleman Coliseum in NSU’s last road non-conference game of the season.
NSU went nearly seven minutes without scoring after trailing by just five at the break. The Spartans shot 25-percent after intermission after hitting better than 46-percent in the first half. The Crimson Tide knocked down 11 3-pointers and held NSU to a 6-of-22 effort from behind the arc.
Senior Jeff Short was the lone bright spot for the Spartans, as he finished with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a 4-of-7 effort from 3-point range. He finished as the team’s only double-digit scorer as NSU was held to a season low in points.
Retin Obasohan shot 9-of-12 overall for a 23-point effort for the Tide. Arthur Edwards hit 5-of-9 from behind the arc for 15 points.
The Tide held the rebounding edge, 36-29, and outscored NSU 11-6 in second-chance points.
Eaves’ 23 points lift South Carolina State past Miami (Ohio)
OXFORD, Ohio – Junior guard Eric Eaves scored a team-high 23 points to lead South Carolina State to an 71-67 victory over Miami(Ohio) Saturday (Jan. 2) at Millett Hall Arena.
Eaves came off the bench to hit 7-of-13 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the line. The Bulldogs (6-10) closed out the three-game Midwest swing with a much needed victory over a talented MAC opponent in non-conference action.
Sophomore guard Ed Stephens finished with 13, while senior guard/forward Gabriel McCray chipped in 10 and five rebounds in the win.
Despite a lofty 17 turnovers by the Bulldogs, SC State dominated the boards out-rebounding Miami (Ohio) 38-28 and shot 77.8-percent (28-of-36) from the free-throw line, while scoring 34 points from bench play.
Geovonie McKnight paced Miami (6-7) with a career-high 24 points. Eric Washington added 16.
South Carolina State returns home to open up conference Saturday (Jan.9) against NC Central in a pivotal MEAC doubleheader. Tipoff is 4 p.m., immediately following the women’s contest at 2 p.m. at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
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