PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (11/20/10) – Senior forward Jonathan Jones scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed a season-best 20 rebounds, however the Kean University men's basketball team fell to Division I University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, 86-68 on Saturday afternoon.
Kean stayed with the Hawks for much of the contest, as the game was tied at 55-55 with just over 10 minutes left, before UMES closed the game on a 31-13 run.
Jones connected on 12-of-18 shots from the floor for his first career 30-point game, as he also recorded his third career game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds.
The Cougars (2-1) shot 50 percent from the floor (12-of-24) in the opening half to trail by just four points at halftime, 40-36.
After the Hawks opened the game with an 11-2 run, the Cougars settled down and pulled to within 15-12 on a lay-up and a pair of free throws by Jones, before tying the game at 17 on a three-pointer by rookie Michael Burton with just under 10 minutes remaining in the opening half.
The Cougars pushed ahead on a lay-up by sophomore forward Diego Guiterrez and led by as many as six points at 29-23 following a 8-2 that Burton opened with a three-point play and Jones capped with a three-point play on the offensive rebound and putback with 4:47 left.
UMES answered with an 8-2 run of their own to tie the game at 31-31 with two and half minutes left and would score the final four points of the half for the 40-36 lead at halftime.
Jones hits 8-of-12 shots from the floor to score 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the opening half. Burton added 10 points in 10 minutes off the bench.
The Hawks were led by Dishawn Bradshaw with 12 points and Hillary Haley with 10 points in the first half.
In the second half, junior Rob Lewis scored the first four points of the half to tie the game at 40-40 and the Cougars would retake the lead at 45-44 on a pair of free throws by Jones less than four minutes into the half. The Hawks regained the lead and extended it to four points, before the Cougars again battled back and took their final lead of the game at 54-53 on a lay-up by Jones with 11:45 remaining.
With the game tied at 55-55 with 10:34 left, the Hawks went on a 17-2 run to build a 15-point lead with less than five minutes remaining. The Cougars pulled back to within 10 points on a pair of occasions, but were never able to get within single digits, as the Hawks led by as many as 21 points down the stretch before Jones hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds left for the final points of the game.
In the victory, Bradshaw led four Hawks in double-figures with a team-high 18 points. Forward Tyler Hines added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Haley finished with 16 points off the bench.
For the Cougars, Burton added 13 points and Gutierrez finished with nine points and a team-high four assists.
Kean has nine days of before returning to action with the team's home opener against Stevens Institute of Technology on Monday, November 29, at 7 p.m.