PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team made 26 of its game-high 40 free throw attempts to defeat South Carolina State 61-55 on Saturday afternoon at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center.

UMES (9-16, 7-6 MEAC) started the game on a 9-0 run, keeping SC State (10-13, 6-7 MEAC) scoreless until Ashleigh Outler hit a 3-pointer with 5:32 left in the first quarter. Outler hit another trey at the 2:50 mark to get within seven, 13-6, but the Lady Hawks ended the period up 16-8.

SC State faced a double-digit deficit for most of the second quarter. A three-point play by Bria Ratliff at the 2:48 mark got the Lady Bulldogs within nine (28-19) and they outscored the Lady Hawks 7-3 to go into halftime down just five points (31-26).

The entire third quarter was close, but the Lady Bulldogs went on an 11-0 run to start the final period to tie the game at 47-all with 5:16 left. Moy Subritzky drained a 3-pointer at the 4:23 mark to break the tie, but Amber Howard answered 17 seconds later with a trey of her own to knot things up at 50-all.

UMES scored the next seven points to put the game out of reach for SC State. The closest the Lady Bulldogs got after that was four points following Howard's 3-pointer with 20 seconds left.

The Lady Hawks, who made more free throws in the second half (17) than the Lady Bulldogs attempted for the entire game (15), were led in scoring by Ciani Byrom with 17 points. Keyera Eaton had 12 points, while Taryana Kelly had 12 rebounds.

Brittany Drumgoole paced the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points. Howard added 11 points and Jasmine Coleman grabbed a game- and career-high 18 rebounds.

SC State travels to the Nation's Capital to take on Howard at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.