It’s week three of Lasky’s Lounge and I feel like the season is flying by. It needs to slow down a bit so we can all enjoy more basketball. Before you know it, both basketball teams will be in full MEAC mode. Hey, as always, if you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free to email umesbroadcast@gmail.com. Talk to you all on the radio soon!

Shout out of the Week: I want to start this week with my shout out because the term student-athlete gets tossed around aimlessly and the student part is sometimes lost. Last Friday morning, Josh Bright of the men’s basketball team officially graduated from UMES. Josh stayed in Princess Anne on Friday and flew to Pittsburgh on Saturday morning. Josh is a business administration major at UMES. I think it’s important to celebrate academic achievement as much as athletic success. Josh is enrolled in graduate school at UMES and will begin his pursuit of a master’s degree this coming spring. Congrats Josh!

Trivia Time: In honor of Hillary Haley connecting on 13 free throws against Washington College, who is the last UMES player to hit at least 13 free throws in a single game? Keep reading for the answer.

Did that Happen?: Full disclosure, I wasn’t at the women’s game against Towson because I was in Pittsburgh. Here is a puzzling discrepancy from the box score. Towson shot 34 free throws in the second half and UMES shot eight. The Hawks were whistled for 20 fouls in the second half while Towson was called for just eight. The number of fouls is a bit skewed because the Hawks committed five fouls in the final 1:51 trying to come back. Towson shot just 44.1 percent (15-34) in the second half. They were 0-2 from the line in the first half.

Century Mark: It’s not often that a team hits the century mark in a game (100 points). Against Division III Washington College, UMES scored at least 100 points for the first time since a 3OT game against Albany during the 2000-01. The Hawks won 102-96. The last time UMES scored 100 points in regulation was during the 1996-97 season when they scored 112 against Centenary. Through 119 MEAC games this season, only three teams have scored 100 points. North Carolina A&T beat N.C. Wesleyan 100-66, Delaware State beat Philadelphia Biblical 103-41 and UMES beat Washington College 102-86.

Endorsement from Jamie Dixon: Following the UMES vs. Pitt game, Pittsburgh head coach Jaime Dixon uttered this message during the opening remarks of his postgame press conference (and I quote) …

“Maryland Eastern Shore is a good team. I think they’ll be at the top of their league at the end of the season; they just get worn down with all these road games at the start.” The only caveat that I feel obliged to mention is that Dixon said this after Pitt played Delaware State 10 days prior, “I anticipate that Delaware State is going to win their league and make it to the NCAA Tournament.” Not sure what to make of the statements. Is it just coach speak or did he think Delaware State was the best and then changed his mind after seeing UMES?

Jets: Raise your hand if you have stayed at the same hotel as an NFL football team. Yep, probably not many of you can claim that. Last Saturday, many of us (players, coaches, staff) were in the lobby of our team hotel in Pittsburgh waiting for the bus to pull up, when a gathering of people formed in the far corner. All of a sudden, Rex Ryan and the New York Jets begin to appear one-by-one. Oh yea, I’m taking LaDainian Tomlinson, Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes, Jason Taylor…all of them. They were checking into the same hotel as us to prepare for their game against the Steelers. Pretty neat to see how they travel and all the fine details that go into travel with an NFL team.

Jackson’s Improvement: Bria Jackson made 13 total 3-pointers in 26 games last season. She has seven after eight games this year. Take it a step further. Jackson scored 83 total points in 26 games last season. She already has 41 points in eight games this season. She has scored eight points in three of her last five games.

Trivia Answer: Ed Tyson is the last UMES player to hit 13 free throws in a single game. He did it on Feb. 2, 2008 on the road at Morgan State. UMES lost the game 67-52. Tyson poured in 28 of the 52 UMES points.

Five-Stars: Time to celebrate the best two players from last week. For the men, my “five-stars” go to Dishawn Bradshaw. The Charm City native poured in 33 points between Pittsburgh (12) and Washington College (21). More impressive in my book was that he handed out nine assists between the two games. He led the Hawks in assists in both games. He adds another dimension to his 3-point game when he puts the ball on the deck and creates for his teammates. On the ladies side, the senior Casey Morton is the recipient. Morton scored 26 points combined in the three games last week. She finished with 13 against ACC foe Wake Forest.

Numbers of the Week: 17 – the number of fast break points the men’s team scored against Washington College, by far the most of the season. In the other 10 games combined, the Hawks scored a total of only 26 fast break points. In the first ten games, the Hawks never totaled more than 4 fast break points. Nice to see the Hawks get out on the break. 94 – The Lady Hawks have hit a 3-pointer in 94 consecutive games. The last time that the Lady Hawks did not hit a 3-pointer in a game was on Nov. 14, 2007 against NCCU. The interesting thing about that game was UMES won by a wide margin, 54-32. That is impressive stuff.

Two for the Road: 1) The men’s team leaves for Colorado on Tuesday with their game set for Wednesday (Dec. 29, 9:00 EST). The Buffaloes have won 19 consecutive non-conference games at the Coors Event Center. Further, the last time UMES made the trek to Boulder was on Dec. 30, 1993. It will be just about 17 years from the day on Dec. 29, 2010. 2) The Lady Hawks are 0-2 all-time against Canisius. It will be the second meeting in Buffalo. The last meeting in Buffalo was on Nov. 17, 2006. Canisius won the game 48-44. Only one player in the whole game scored in double figures (Amanda Cavo, 10 points).

Have a happy and healthy holiday season. Good luck to both the men’s and women’s teams when they resume play.