NORFOLK, Va. (Interstat) — The Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks used a dominant fourth-quarter run to pull away from a determined Delaware State squad and secure a 55-48 victory in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament first-round game Wednesday at the Constant Convocation Center.

The seventh-seeded Hawks, who improved to 19-13, advanced to face a higher seed in the quarterfinal round. The season ended for the 10th-seeded Hornets, who finished 7-23.

For three quarters, the game was a tense, defensive struggle defined by turnovers and missed opportunities. Neither team led by more than seven points, and Delaware State clawed back from a 28-19 halftime deficit to trail by just two points, 38-36, entering the final period.

The most important part of the game arrived early in the fourth quarter. With the Hawks clinging to a 39-38 lead after an Ericka Huggins layup for Delaware State, Maryland-Eastern Shore unleashed a decisive 9-0 run over a two-minute span that effectively sealed the outcome. The surge was fueled by the Hawks’ defensive pressure and the offensive connection between forward Lainey Allen and guard Brianna Barnes.

The sequence began with a steal by Allen, who found Barnes for a transition layup. On the ensuing Hornets possession, Allen stole the ball again and once more assisted Barnes for another easy basket, forcing a Delaware State timeout with 5:21 remaining and the Hawks ahead 46-38. The run continued with two free throws from Barnes, capping a stretch where the Hawks scored nine points off three consecutive Delaware State turnovers.

Delaware State, which had battled foul trouble and offensive inconsistency all afternoon, could not recover from that burst. The Hornets managed just one field goal over the next five minutes as the Hawks methodically extended their lead.

Allen, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, was instrumental throughout, finishing with 11 points, two assists, a block and a steal in 26 minutes. Her defensive presence in the paint and her playmaking in the open floor were pivotal. Barnes, a 5-11 guard from the Bronx, New York, led all scorers with 17 points, including several crucial baskets during the Hawks’ fourth-quarter separation.

Delaware State was led by Aniyah Jones, who scored 13 points, and Liliana Harrison, who added 10 points. Anise Geiger provided a strong defensive effort with four blocked shots to go with 10 points. The Hornets struggled offensively, particularly inside, where they were outscored 26-16 in the paint. Turnovers also proved costly, as Maryland-Eastern Shore converted 22 points off Delaware State’s miscues, compared to 14 points off turnovers for the Hornets.

The game began as a low-scoring affair, with Maryland-Eastern Shore taking a 13-8 lead after the first quarter. The Hawks built their largest lead of the first half at 28-19 before the Hornets began chipping away in the third quarter, setting the stage for the dramatic final period.

The victory gave Maryland-Eastern Shore a three-game season sweep over its conference rival, having also won 56-48 on March 5 and 58-47 on Jan. 31. The Hawks’ season continues in the MEAC tournament quarterfinals, while Delaware State’s season, which showed recent signs of life with two wins in its final five regular-season games, comes to a close.