University of Maryland Eastern Shore men’s basketball fell to High Point University, 63-49, on Wednesday night in High Point, North Carolina. The loss dropped the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks to 0-2, while the High Point Panthers improved to 2-0.
Isaiah Griffin led the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks with 18 points and scored in double figures in each of the team’s first two games. Cam’ron Fletcher paced High Point University with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while CJ Brown added 13 points and three assists.
High Point Builds Halftime Lead
Maryland Eastern Shore opened with a 5-3 lead after Alvin Cole made a 3-pointer and Souleymane Sylla scored on a transition basket. High Point answered with an 8-0 run to take an 11-5 lead with 13:44 remaining in the first half, then extended the margin to 15-5 by the 11:54 mark.
Four Maryland Eastern Shore turnovers during the first eight minutes contributed to the Panthers’ early advantage. Griffin ended the Hawks’ scoring drought with a 3-pointer and followed with a contested drive that brought Maryland Eastern Shore within six points with 10:22 left in the half.
That was as close as the Hawks came before halftime. Ten turnovers and a 29 percent shooting performance from the field contributed to a 31-19 deficit at the break.
Panthers Pull Away After Hawks’ Push
High Point maintained a double-digit lead through the early stages of the second half before using a 7-0 run to move ahead by 17 points with 9:36 remaining. Lucius Savadel-Gibson ended the run with a traditional three-point play at the 8:46 mark.
Griffin then made a corner 3-pointer with 7:51 left, cutting the margin to 12 points. Fletcher responded by making five of his next six shots as High Point scored 10 of the next 13 points and took a 59-38 lead with 4:17 remaining.
Bobby Gardner finished with six points for Maryland Eastern Shore after scoring 30 points in his Division I debut at Wake Forest on Monday. The Hawks are scheduled to host Cheyney University of Pennsylvania at 4:30 p.m. Saturday during Homecoming.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Griffin’s 18-point performance gave Maryland Eastern Shore a consistent offensive contributor in the team’s first two games. The Hawks also opened with an early lead, but turnovers and High Point’s second-half response created a difficult path to victory.
Maryland Eastern Shore will have its next opportunity at home against Cheyney University of Pennsylvania during Saturday’s Homecoming matchup.
Source: Original report
