Umes

UMES came to the Coppin Center last night as the only member of a Division I conference without a league victory, and the Hawks promptly left the same way. For one of the rare times this season, Coppin State led from the opening whistle to the final horn and scored an 80-65 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win before a crowd of 316. The result pulled Coppin (10-18, 8-8) to .500 in the league for the first time since Jan. 3, when it was 1-1 after beating Bethune-Cookman. It was UMES' 16th straight MEAC defeat in a 3-25 season overall.

Holly Mahan scored a career-high 26 points and had eight rebounds to lead Towson (5-3) to its third win in the past four games, 69-61, over UMBC at the Towson Center last night. It was the Tigers' fourth straight win over the Retrievers (4-7) and extended their lead in the series to 31-11. Mahan made eight of 14 shots from the field, including four of nine from three-point range. She also made all six of her free-throw attempts and had a game-high six steals. Bowling Green 62, Mount St. Mary's 59 -- Tiffany Green had 16 points in a losing effort for the host Mount (1-8)

Denzel Jackson made a free throw with six seconds left as host UMES came from behind to defeat Stony Brook, 53-52, last night in Princess Anne. The Hawks (1-1) trailed by three points at the half and by as many as 11 in the second half before closing the gap to 49-47 on Ed Tyson's three-pointer with 1:39 remaining. UMES made six free throws in the final minute to seal the win over the Seawolves (0-3). Tyson finished with a game-high 20 points and Michael Tyree had 13 for Stony Brook.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Eighth-seeded UMES' upset bid fell short as South Carolina State's Coray Davis hit two three-pointers late in the top-seeded Bulldogs' 61-56 win yesterday in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's tournament.Jason Conway scored 11 points to lead UMES, which led most of the game.South Carolina State (16-11) was trailing 53-51 when Davis hit his fourth three-pointer of the half for a 54-53 lead.UMES finished 10-17.UMES -- Hoover 1-8 0-1 2, Conway 4-13 0-0 11, White 2-4 0-0 4, Je.Jones 4-8 0-0 8, Wallace 3-13 0-0 8, Surpin 0-0 0-0 0, Reynolds 1-5 0-0 3, Reese 2-5 2-2 7, James 3-4 3-3 9, Christian 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 22-63 5-6 56.SOUTH CAROLINA STATE -- Davis 4-10 0-0 12, Wiatre 3-10 2-2 9, Hall 4-6 4-10 12, Johnson 2-4 2-2 6, Ja.Jones 3-9 2-2 9, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Waller 2-3 3-4 7, Carlisle 2-3 2-2 6. Totals 20-46 15-22 61.Halftime--UMES 26-21.

PRINCESS ANNE -- Four Somerset County teen-agers have been charged in a home invasion in which two University of Maryland Eastern Shore students were dragged from their beds at gunpoint, terrorized and sexually assaulted at their off-campus apartment early Monday.The teen-agers, from Princess Anne, are being held on $500,000 bond each at Somerset County Detention Center. Charges include first-degree sexual assault and burglary.The charges could bring prison terms of 20 years to life. Deandre Cotton, 16, Timothy Holbrook and Tremaine Waters, both 17, and DeShawn Burke, 18, await a preliminary hearing Dec. 28. All four -- including the three minors -- will be tried as adults.

BETHLEHEM, Pa.-- Nicole Council scored a game-high 26 points as the UMES women defeated Lehigh, 70-61, last night.Aileene Frazer added 12 points for UMES (1-2) and Shantwan Dowell had 11 rebounds.UMES held Lehigh (2-1) to 2-for-30 shooting in the first half but led only 29-25 as Lehigh made 21 of 25 free-throw attempts.

Women's tournamentsLocallyAmerica EastAt VermontToday's first roundTowson vs. Boston UniversityHofstra vs. HartfordTomorrow's quarterfinalsNew Hampshire vs. Drexel, noon N'eastern vs. Towson-Boston U. winner, 2: 30 p.m.Maine vs. Hofstra-Hartford winner, 6 p.m.Vermont vs. Delaware, 8: 30 p.m.Friday's semifinalsMaine-Hofstra-Hartford winner vs. Vermont-Delaware winner, noonNortheastern-Towson-Boston U. winner vs. New Hampshire-Drexel winner, 2: 30 p.m.Saturday's championshipSemifinal...

Daryl Green had 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds as Niagara defeated visiting UMES, 81-71, yesterday in men's basketball.The Purple Eagles (6-2) used a 16-4 run for a 41-38 lead at halftime. The Hawks trailed 52-49 with 12: 53 left before Green scored seven straight.Demetrius Reese had a game-high 24 points for UMES (3-5).WomenJames Madison 83, Coppin State 73: Mandy White scored 20 to lead the Dukes (4-4) over the visiting Eagles (4-7).James Madison led by as many as 21, but Coppin pulled within 47-34 at halftime and tied the game at 68 on Liesha Mitchell's jumper with 4: 08 left but did not score again until 17 seconds remained.

Kiesha Brooks scored 28 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, both career highs, leading Coppin State past conference-leading UMES, 84-74, last night in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game in Princess Anne.The loss ended the seven-game home winning streak of the Hawks (8-7, 5-2).Brooks' three-pointer late in the first half broke a tie at 28, and the Eagles never trailed.Coppin (7-5, 5-3) led by as many as 15 (59-44) in the second half before the Hawks cut their deficit to 73-67 with 2: 32 left.

Jorge Cajigas scored six of his game-high 21 points in overtime to lead Coppin State past host Bethune-Cookman, 73-67, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game in Daytona Beach, Fla.The Eagles (11-13, 10-4), despite hitting only six of 11 free throws, never trailed in the extra period.Cajigas broke a tie at 60 with a three-pointer at 4: 19, and his three-point play with 1: 34 left extended Coppin's lead to 68-62.The Wildcats (9-13, 8-7) forced overtime on Freddie Cole's three-pointer with 1: 05 left in regulation that tied the game at 60.The Eagles used a 19-6 run over the first 10 minutes of the second half to open a 53-38 lead with 10: 41 left.

Cardin's proposal indicative of state's wasteful ways I don't know which is more frustrating, State Delegate Jon S. Cardin's use of law enforcement resources for his own pleasure, or the fact that he was, as a result of these actions, the "toast" of a convention of state government leaders at Ocean City. Shots are being fired at the Inner Harbor Pavilion, and everyday citizens are suffering through a recession, yet Mr. Cardin uses his authority to tie up law enforcement and tax dollar resources in this fashion.

When:: Today-Saturday Site:: Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C. TV:: Championship game on ESPNU, 7 p.m., Saturday Favorite:: Top seed Morgan State (20-11, 13-3) State entries:: Morgan, fifth seed Coppin State (12-18, 9-7), 11th seed UMES (7-22, 3-13) Outlook: : Will history repeat or will Morgan finally break championship ice? The Bears open Wednesday against the winner of tomorrow's Florida A&M-Howard game. The Eagles meet North Carolina A&T in the last quarterfinal Thursday.

Coppin State 65, UMES 48 - Senior Tywain McKee scored 22 points, leading Coppin State to its fourth straight victory, a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win over host UMES last night. McKee finished the game 7-for-16 from the field, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in recording his 10th 20-point game of the season. The Eagles (7-16, 5-4) received 12 points from Mike Buckley and seven points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal from Michael Harper.

Kaleo Kina scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half to help host Navy rally to a 78-65 win over Texas-San Antonio last night. The Midshipmen (6-1) shot 84.2 percent from the field (16-for-19) in the second half to come back from a seven-point halftime deficit. Navy shot 71.4 percent (25-for-35) for the game, the fourth-best shooting performance in school history, and out-rebounded the Roadrunners (2-3) 22-12 in the second half. Kina, who was 9-for-11 from the field and 11-for-15 on his free throws, has scored 59 points in Navy's past two games.

The Navy offense has been streaky in the early days of this season. That trend continued last night against UMES, but guard Chris Harris made sure the Midshipmen emerged unharmed. Harris made seven three-pointers to finish with a game-high 21 points. The junior guard hit three of those long shots in a 20-point run that helped Navy take command en route to a 76-51 victory at Alumni Hall. Navy (4-1) made seven of its first nine shots from the field for an 18-5 lead and appeared set for an easy game.

Boubacar Coly, Morgan State's 6-foot-9 defensive enforcer, will forgo his last year of NCAA eligibility to pursue a pro basketball career, Bears coach Todd Bozeman said this week. Coly, who played this season as a 24-year-old graduate student, leaves as reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. He led the MEAC in rebounds (10.9 per game) and blocked shots (84). A native of Senegal, Coly transferred from Xavier University, where he played in only a handful of games while undergoing two knee surgeries.

PRINCESS ANNE -- After 14 consecutive losing seasons and a series of failed coaching regimes, UMES finally tapped a proven program-builder as its next men's basketball coach yesterday. In Frankie Allen, the Hawks are getting a former national Coach of the Year, a veteran of seven NCAA tournaments, and a man who revived dormant programs at Tennessee State and Howard University. Just what the school needed? "This was an important decision for me," said UMES athletic director Keith Davidson, "and I was not going to place this basketball program in the hands of anyone who was not a steady, proven leader."

RALEIGH, N.C. -- When Hampton guard Rachel Butler beat UMES for the second and final time this season, Hawks coach Fred Batchelor saw the future for his young team. Butler, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half and steadied the Pirates down the stretch for a 56-49 victory over UMES yesterday in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's tournament quarterfinal at the RBC Center. "The difference in today's game was Rachel Butler," Batchelor said. "I believe we have a few Rachel Butlers in terms of the type players they can grow into."

Junior guard Siobhan Prior made four three-pointers and scored a game-high 18 points to lead Loyola to a 57-49 victory over Rider yesterday in the first round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women's tournament in Albany, N.Y. Rider (8-22), the 10th seed, rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to draw as close as three, but seventh-seeded Loyola (13-16) held off the charge to advance to the MAAC quarterfinals for the third straight season. "We knew that they would come out strong in the second half," Loyola coach Joe Logan said.

Fred Batchelor says it's too early to talk about NCAA tournament implications just yet, but the UMES women's basketball coach isn't oblivious to the signs. In the space of five days recently, the Hawks knocked off last year's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament runner-up (Morgan State), the regular-season champion (Coppin State) and the tournament champ (Delaware State). "If we can continue to play at that level, mentally and physically ... " Batchelor said, leaving the NCAA tournament implication unsaid.