PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men’s basketball team battled tooth and nail against the University of Detroit Mercy on Monday night, eventually succumbing by a final score of 69-55. UMES (1-5) led the majority of the contest before the Detroit Titans closed by dominating the last ten minutes of the game.
The game began as a back-and-forth battle with neither team gaining much of an upper hand. In the first half, UMES led for 15 minutes, with the largest advantage at five points, 18-13. There were six ties and six lead changes in the first half alone. Ryan Andino hit a jumper from the foul line with 34 seconds left to take a 29-27 lead into halftime.
In the early minutes after halftime, UMES built their lead even further. After Detroit tied the game several more times, the Hawks burst out for a 6-0 run to take a 39-33 lead at 15:32 remaining in the contest. The lead was still six points after a three-pointer by Devon Walker at 11:50 to go, then 45-39. At that point, Detroit flipped the game in their favor. A 9-2 run gave Detroit a 48-47 advantage, their first lead of the second half, coming with 8:35 left.
From that point on, it was a complete turnaround from the tight game of the first half. Detroit finished the game on a 30-10 run in the final 12 minutes, turning a six-point deficit into a 14-point victory. The Titans scored several transition dunks to skew the final score in their favor, not reflecting the tight nature of the bulk of the night.
Mike Myers finished the night with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, and 7-of-10 from the free throw line as well. Devin Martin and Ryan Andino were the other two Hawks in double digits, both at 11 points. The Hawks dealt with foul trouble all game, committing 28 fouls on the night. Detroit capitalized by shooting 24-for-31 on free throws, compared to the Hawks’ 10-of-16, accounting for the exact margin of defeat.
Turnovers hampered the Hawks’ offense, committing 20 giveaways on the night compared to only nine turnovers by Detroit. The teams shot roughly the same from the field, at 40.0% for UMES and 40.4% for Detroit. While the Hawks outrebounded the Titans 36 to 34, it could not overcome the advantages in the turnover margin and free throw disparity.
The Detroit Titans had four players in double digits, with Anton Wilson pacing the team with 14 points. Juwan Howard, Jr. was limited with four personal fouls, including a technical assessed early in the second half. Freshman Paris Bass broke out in the second half, scoring all 11 points in the second half, particularly picking up the slack in Howard’s absence.
With the defeat, the Hawks have lost three games in a row since the win at Mount St. Mary’s. UMES has a quick turnaround with the back-to-back, with a Tuesday matchup against Bucknell (1-4). The Bison lost to host Toledo, 92-65, in the nightcap.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio. Pregame coverage will begin twenty minutes before tip-off on the Hawks Radio Network powered by SFMSports.Net and Fox Sports 960 AM in Salisbury, Md.