Men's Basketball's Season Ends in Region 20 Tournament

The College of Southern Maryland Hawks men's basketball team fell to the Montgomery College Raptors 79-62 in the quarterfinal round of the NJCAA Region 20 Division II men's basketball tournament on March 7.

CSM started the game off slow, trailing 20-8 after six minutes. However, the Hawks regrouped and went on a 15-3 run over the next five minutes to tie the score at 23, forcing several turnovers and converting into fast-break points. CSM held strong the rest of the half, finishing with consecutive stops on the defensive end to take a 33-31 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, the Hawks struggled to string together solid offensive possessions, shooting 9-30 from the field and 1-10 from beyond the arc. CSM's defense was still present, making six turnovers and four steals. Eventually, the Hawks ran out of gas and into foul trouble. Montgomery had 27 free-throw attempts in the second half to CSM's 16. The Raptors outscored the Hawks 48-29 in the second half.

Rasheed Cooley led the way for the Hawks in scoring, posting 20 points off 7-19 shooting. He also had six rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Reggie Washington had 12 points, going 3-7 from the field and 5-7 from the free-throw line while adding three steals.

CSM's season came to an end but the Hawks finished with an overall record of 18-10 while going 7-4 in Region 20 Division II play, displaying overall improvement from the previous season.