PRINCESS ANNE, MD – The South Carolina State men opened their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference season Saturday with an 80-67 triumph over host Maryland-Eastern Shore at the Hytche Center. The Bulldogs scored 13 of the game's final 17 points to pull away for the win.
JUCO transfer Darnell Porter had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead SC State. Seniors Jason Flagler and Arsenio Williams contributed 15 points each in the victory for Coach Tim Carter's squad, which climbed to 7-5 on the season and 1-0 in the MEAC. The Bulldogs claimed their third road victory of the season with the win.
In a game that had a number of ebbs and flows, SC State – ahead 32-25 at the half -- built a 10-point 51-41 advantage on a three-point play by Williams off a feed from Porter with 11:53 remaining.
The host Hawks charged back, scoring three of their five 3-pointers during a 22-14 run that pulled them to within 65-63 when Tim Burns, who led all scorers with 20 points, got a follow shot with 4:30 on the second-half clock.
SC State's Flagler, who had 13 of his 15 points in the second half, then got a short jumper and followed with two free throws t give the Bulldogs some breathing room and a 69-63 edge with 3:26 left on the clock.
Following a Maryland-Eastern Shore timeout and a miss, Carter's Bulldog kept its momentum as Williams scored two consecutive baskets, both coming off a feed from Porter, Flagler got two free throws and Carrio Bennett a driving layup to complete an 8-0 Bulldog run that gave SC State its largest lead, 77-63 with 1:25 left.
Hillary Haley, who finished with 15 points for the Hawks who dipped to 3-11 and 1-1 in the MEAC, got a short jumper to check the Bulldog run and make the score 77-65, but by then just over a minute remained. Porter scored the game's final t three points for SC State and the final margin.
SC State's Carter, who last year saw his team blow a nine-point lead in the closing minutes against the Hawks at the Hytche Center, was elated with the win but admitted when UMES closed to within two after his Bulldogs had taken a 10-point lead with around the 11-mute mark, he had flash backs from a year ago.
“I had shades of last year,” Carter said “When we built a comfort lead and all of a sudden, we just up by two. I thought we lost our focus. But, one thing we did, we kept our poise and continued to try and execute in our half court offense. Flag (Flagler) hit a big time shot and we got a little run going that put us back in control of the game.
“I thought overall,” he continued, “we played a good game. Our shot selection was excellent, and our defense, which we mixed up, kept them off balance for the most part. The only thing I felt we didn't do well at times was rebound. They (the Hawks) really battled on the glass and we didn't match their intensity on the boards. But every coach enjoys winning on the road, so I'm happy for our team. Now, we have to build on this for Monday when we play Delaware State, a team that will do a lot of switching and throw a lot of 'junk' defenses at you.”
Monday's contest against Delaware State will be the second game of an MEAC doubleheader that begins at 5:30 p.m. with a women's contest.
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