Boxscore

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April McBride scored 10 of her game-high 20 points in the second half and recorded a double-double in the process to lead Maryland Eastern Shore to a 54-49 win over Howard University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's game at Burr Gymnasium.

The game was a nip-and-tuck affair as neither team was able to pull away.  The Lady Bison (4-17 overall, 3-6 in the MEAC) held a 27-26 halftime lead on the scoring of Zykia Brown's eight points and Charae Baulkman's surprising six.

McBride carried the load for the Lady Hawks (10-10 overall, 6-3 in the MEAC) with 10 of her team's points, including six of seven from the charity stripe.

In the second half, UMES began to slowly establish itself by getting the ball inside and getting to the foul line.  Much can be attributed to the fact that Howard was playing without its leading rebounder and the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, senior power forward Tamaya Daniels, who sat out with an ankle injury.

"Whenever you have a starter not playing, it will hurt you," said Howard Coach Niki Reid Geckeler.  "But it is a team game and Charae (Baulkman), Jasmine (Lipford) and Amanda (Edwards) stepped up."

Still, McBride, who managed only two field goals in the second half and four for the game, was able to cash in at the free throw line.

"The fouls hurt us early in the game," said Coach Geckeler.  "We lost Natalie (Day) and Amanda early to foul trouble and it hindered us."

Day came alive in the second half and tallied all seven of her points.  Day, Morgan Neal and Brown combined to get the Lady Bison to within one at 50-49 with 1:05 remaining.  But two shots at the basket failed for Howard and UMES put the game away on a layup by Casey Morton and two free throws by Tiffany Reid.

"Them getting to the foul line killed us," declared Coach Geckeler.  "They average 20-plus points per game from the line."  The Lady Hawks hit six of their last seven and 18 of 27 overall while the Lady Bison had only nine attempts for the game.

Brown finished with another fine all-around performance:  a team-high 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals, but she made only two of eight from the field in the second half.

"It's very important to find another scorer," said Geckeler.  "Consistency and balance is the key to any successful basketball team."

She continued, "It takes believing in ourselves.  We believe that we can win and we've proven that we can play with people.  We just have to get over that hump."

Neal finished with 10 points and eight rebounds while Baulkman contributed six points and nine rebounds.

McBride grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to go with her 20 points while Reid added 10 for the Lady Hawks.

NEXT UP: UMES travels to Hampton, VA to take on the Lady Pirates on Monday at 5:30 pm while the Lady Bison will try to get back on the winning track when they host Delaware State at 6 pm.