Preview: Maryland-Eastern Shore at South Carolina State

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Interstat) — The Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks visit the South Carolina State Bulldogs in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women’s basketball matchup on Wednesday night at SHM Memorial Center.

The Hawks (12-11) look to rebound after a 69-62 road loss to North Carolina Central on Monday, which snapped a four-game winning streak. Prior to that, UMES had won five of its last six, including a 58-47 victory at Delaware State on Jan. 31.

South Carolina State (5-15) seeks to end a three-game skid, most recently a 67-47 home loss to Delaware State on Jan. 22. The Bulldogs have struggled offensively, failing to reach 50 points in four of their last five contests.

A key matchup will feature UMES guard Brianna Barnes against SC State’s Shaunice Reed. Barnes is coming off an 18-point performance in the loss to NCCU and has been a consistent scorer in conference play, including a 22-point outing against Howard on Jan. 10. Reed has been a bright spot for the Bulldogs, scoring 20 points in 36 minutes in the loss to Delaware State.

The Hawks have found success with a balanced attack during their recent surge, while the Bulldogs have relied heavily on Reed’s production. South Carolina State’s defense, which allowed 85 points to Norfolk State in its last home game on Jan. 17, will be tested by a UMES team averaging 64.3 points per game in its last four wins.

Historically, this is the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams this season. They will meet again in Princess Anne, Md., on Feb. 28.

Following this game, UMES travels to face Morgan State on Saturday. South Carolina State visits Howard on Saturday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EST.