SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - After a tough loss to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.
on Tuesday, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team continues
their travels south to Missouri, where the Hispanic College Fund Challenge will be held
this coming weekend at JQH Arena.
"This long road trip is good for us as a team," stated head coach Frankie Allen. "There
are two main focuses on the trip - basketball and studying. It's also a great opportunity
for our staff and players to bond. It will be a tough week being gone for so long, but it is
good for us to get away and is a positive experience."
On Friday, the Hawks will take on the host Missouri State Bears at 9:05 p.m. EST.
This is the first meeting between the two teams. MSU, a Missouri Valley Conference
member, topped Auburn 73-62 in their season opener on Monday night at JQH Arena.
The Bears were just 11-20 overall in 2008-09 and 3-15 in conference play. Their top
returning player is Kyle Weems, who averaged 10.2 points per game a season ago.
Second year head coach Cuanzo Martin has added seven newcomers to the roster, while
still returning three starters (Weems, Justin Fuehrmeyer and Cardell McFarland).
"Missouri State is a very talented team," said Allen. "They are a very balanced team and
present a challenge. They also have the home-court advantage this weekend with a
strong fan following and it forces us to get better."
On Saturday, UMES matches up against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles at 6:30
p.m. EST. This will be the first meeting between the schools since Nov. 26, 2001 when
the Hawks defeated the Eagles 65-61. EMU opened their season with an 81-77 road win
over Oakland. Last season, the Eagles limped to an 8-24 overall record and a 5-9 mark in
the MAC West. Brandon Bowdry led EMU last year in scoring (14.8) and rebounding
(7.2).
"Eastern Michigan is very similar to our program in that they have a lot of new faces on
their roster," Allen commented. "They are a transition team and play up-tempo which
will help us better prepare for the upcoming MEAC season and teams such as Morgan
State and North Carolina A&T."
The Hawks play against The Citadel Bulldogs on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST. This is also
the first matchup between UMES and The Citadel.
The Bulldogs take on EMU on Friday night in the HCFC before squaring off with UMES
on Saturday. The Citadel, who is a member of the Southern Conference, is currently 1-1
on the season after winning their opener against Kenyon College and then losing to
Charleston Southern. The Bulldogs went 20-13 last season and 10-5 in the SoCon.
Junior guard Cameron Wells, who enters this tournament 20 points shy of 1,000 for his
career for the Bulldogs, anchors The Citadel.
"The Citadel has a big center in Joe Wilfinger," remarked Allen. "They play a very
physical half-court game with a slower pace.
"Overall, all the teams offer something different that helps us prepare for our MEAC
opponents. I feel that these games are very winnable for us. Playing three days in a row
will also help us improve from game to game."
Friday's game can be heard live on the Internet thanks to allinbroadcasting.com and live
on the Hawks Radio Network at Studio 106.1 FM. Bret Lasky has the play-by-play for
UMES.
