The AU women’s basketball team struggled offensively against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, losing 39-37 in overtime to the Hawks Nov. 30 at Bender Arena.
The Eagles (5-3, 0-0 PL) had trouble creating plays and penetrating the defense throughout the night.
“We just couldn’t find our offensive rhythm,” AU Head Coach Matt Corkery said. “We have strong 3-point shooters who weren’t knocking down [shots] behind the arc, and there was no real production in the paint.”
AU did not have one scorer in double figures, but Lisa Strack and Alexis Dobbs filled up the stat sheet for the Eagles. Strack finished with nine points, five assists, eight rebounds and three steals, while Dobbs totaled seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Kwinnyata Mercer led the way for the Hawks (1-3, 0-0 MEAC) with a game-high 13 points, while Chelsea Sanders chipped in 12.
Defensively, AU put high pressure on the Hawks with a full-court press, which ultimately led to 14 UMES turnovers in the first half and six AU steals. However, despite the defensive effort, nothing seemed to translate on the offensive end.
By the end of the low-scoring opening half, UMES had a 17-11 advantage.
The second half continued at a slow pace until about halfway in, when the Eagles finally hit a spurt of scoring momentum.
With 13:30 remaining in the contest, UMES managed to open up a nine-point lead at 25-16. But just over four minutes later, the Eagles were up 26-25 and had taken the lead for the first time. Strack scored the first four points of the spurt, while Ti’Asia McGeorge closed with a 3-pointer.
But UMES fought back as the Eagles struggled to maintain the lead.
“It really came down to our decision making,” Corkery said, addressing the team’s 22 turnovers on the night. “Our perimeter players weren’t making the right passing decisions [and] our inside players weren’t driving and weren’t finishing.”
AU had possession with less than a minute left and the game tied at 35, but a 3-point attempt from Dobbs was off the mark and the game was headed for overtime.
Dobbs was the only player to add to the scoreboard for AU during overtime, cutting the UMES lead to 39-37 after the Eagles didn’t score in the opening 3:28 of overtime.
With a 30-second timeout and with 10 seconds left, the Eagles were down two with possession. After an inbound from the sideline, AU quickly tried to make a play but fell short, giving the Hawks their first win of the season.
Corkery explained he would have to revisit the film to see what really happened, but the last play was set up for a baseline drive by Strack.
“We really have to credit UMES on this one,” Corkery said. “We didn’t know if they were going to play man or zone; they kept switching their defense all throughout the game. We just had to run a call that would have worked with either defense.”
The Eagles had a poor shooting night, going 4-25 from 3-point range and shot 26 percent from the field (14-52).
The Hawks earned 18 offensive rebounds — 50 total — and shot 7-13 from the foul line compared to AU’s 37 total rebounds and 3-7 at the line.
“They should be highly motivated after a game like this,” Corkery said. “Win or lose, they are ready to work, and hopefully with more determination and focus.”
The Eagles will next take on the No. 6 Maryland Terrapins in Bender Arena Dec. 4 for their annual Phil Bender game.
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