NCCU Drops 16-pt Lead, Loses to UMES at Home

DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University senior Kris Monroe scored a game-high 23 points, but Maryland Eastern Shore rallied from a 16-point deficit for a 79-66 road victory on Monday night, snapping an 18-game losing skid to NCCU that dates back 13 years.

NCCU (14-12, 7-3 MEAC) stormed out to a 16-point advantage, leading 39-23 with 2:28 left in the first half. The host Eagles held a 43-31 cushion at intermission, largely due to intense defensive pressure that resulted in 15 points off 11 Hawks turnovers.

The second half was a different story.

UMES (9-13, 4-7 MEAC) yielded only three turnovers after the break compared to 11 miscues by the home team, and the Hawks torched the nets for 9-of-14 shooting from long-distance.

Trailing 53-40 at 14:34 of the second stanza, Eastern Shore posted a 21-2 run for a six-point lead, holding NCCU scoreless for more than six minutes.

Freshman Chace Davis sparked UMES with 22 points, 16 coming in the second half, while draining 6-of-8 from 3-point range on the night. Nathaniel Pollard, Jr., contributed 19 points and five assists for the victorious Hawks.

Junior guard Eric Boone aided NCCU with 13 points and five steals, junior guard Marque Maultsby collected 12 points, and sophomore guard Justin Wright tallied 11 points.

The triumph for UMES is the first over NCCU since a 73-58 win in Durham back on Jan. 21, 2009.

NCCU returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Howard and Monday, Feb. 28 at Norfolk State.