Box Score

Postgame Interview with Ron Cottrell (video)

HONOLULU – Houston Baptist went on a 10-0 run in the first half, and a 9-0 run during a stretch it held Maryland Eastern Shore without a field goal for 7:52 in the second half to cruise to a 70-55 win at the Rainbow Classic Sunday afternoon at the Stan Sheriff Center.
 
Senior forward Art Bernardi led the Huskies (2-0) with 22 points, shooting 10-of-14 from the field, and adding seven rebounds. Senior guard Marcus Davis shot 6-of-11 to add 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Sophomore guard Marcel Smith had nine points and four assists, while sophomore guard Tyler Russell had six points and four assists. Freshman guard Caleb Crayton had five points and five boards off the bench.
 
Kyree Jones made 9-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc, to lead UMES (0-2) with a game-high 28 points. Olantunji Kosile came off the bench to score 14 points for the Hawks, while Ronald Spencer had nine points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
HBU shot 58 percent from the field for the game, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, but made only 4-of-12 free throws. UMES shot 39 percent, including 4-of-12 from long distance, and hit 11-of-16 from the line. The Huskies outrebounded the Hawks, 31-27, but UMES had seven blocks, while HBU had none. The Hawks turned the ball over 21 times to the Huskies' 19, but HBU handed out 19 assists on 30 field goals. The Huskies have begun the season by winning their first two games for the first time since 2005-06.
 
Bernardi and freshman forward Dauson Womack opened the game with back-to-back baskets for the Huskies, but Jones nailed a three and Franics Ezeiru hit a jump hook to put the Hawks up by one. HBU quickly regained the lead and scored six in a row to lead 13-6. A three-point play by Jones cut the Huskies' lead to four, but Davis answered with a fast-break layup. Jones knocked down a three for the Hawks, and Harper answered with his own trey on the other end for the Huskies. UMES got a layup and a dunk from Spencer, but junior guard Jonathan Evans drilled a three to put HBU up by five.
 
Leading 24-20, the Huskies went on 10-0 run on three-straight fast-break layups by Bernardi, Davis and Smith, a jumper in the lane by Russell and a putback by Bernardi to extend the lead to 14 with 2:45 left in the opening half.
 
After the Hawks broke the string with a free throw, they got a three from Jones, but Bernardi nailed a three from the corner with under a minute remaining. Jones hit another three with 15 seconds left, but Davis buried a baseline jumper with three seconds on the clock to send the Huskies into the break with a 40-27 lead.
 
Bernardi shot 7-of-9 from the field and had 16 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Jones hit 7-of-8, including 4-of-5 from long range, to lead UMES with 19 points in the frame.
 
Smith opened the second half with a three for HBU, but Kosile got inside for a dunk for UMES. After a Bernardi layup, Kosile answered with a jump hook and hit a turnaround jumper on the Hawks' next possession to make the score, 45-33, with 16:06 remaining. HBU would then hold UMES without a field goal for next 7:52.
 
The Huskies scored the next nine as Davis knocked down a three, finished a backdoor pass from Smith for a reverse layup, Crayton threw down a slam after a Smith steal and Davis got free for a dunk as the Huskies opened up a 54-33 lead with 13:45 to go. The Huskies twice led by as many as 24 in the second half, but back-to-back jumpers by Jones cut the Hawks' deficit to 17 with 5:45 left.
 
Smith knocked down a baseline jumper, then senior guard Anthony Hill drained a 3-pointer to restore HBU's lead to 22 at 66-44 with 4:15 to go, but UMES scored the next eight. Bernardi ended the run with a jump hook with 1:13 on the clock and the Huskies closed out the game by a 15-point margin.
 
The Huskies finish up their season-opening trip against host Hawai'i Tuesday at 3 a.m. CST, which will be shown live on ESPN as the third leg of the network's “College Hoops Tipoff Marathon.” The broadcast marks the first national television appearance for any HBU athletic program.