LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Coppin State came back from a double-digit deficit and took the lead with under a minute remaining, but Ball State managed to escape with a 79-77 win on Monday, Nov. 21
st in the Main Event of the MGM Tournament.
Senior
Keith Shivers scored 18 second half points anchoring the Eagles' comeback and finished with a career-high 26 points. In the final twenty minutes, Shivers made 8-of-14 field goals and grabbed six rebounds. Freshman
Dejuan Clayton sparked the Eagles with ten second half points and junior
Tre' Thomas added eight points and a pair of three-pointers in the final half.
Senior
Joshua Treadwell carried the first half scoring for the Eagles in the Main Event of the MGM Tournament against Ball State. He scored ten points in 17 minutes of action hitting three shots from the field and three free-throws. The Eagles trailed the entire half and shot 29% (9-of-31) from the field and 21% (3-of-14) from behind the three-point arc. Thomas made a pair of three's in the first half finishing with six points. Shivers added eight points and both freshman
Juwan Davenport and sophomore
Lucian Brownlee each had two points in the half.
The Eagles hit the glass gathering ten offensive rebounds in the opening half. Junior
Blake Simpson had four rebounds and Clayton had three. Ball State made 59% of their shots from the field in the opening half and led by double-digits over the Eagles since the 16-minute mark. Coppin State cut the deficit to six (34-28) on a layup by Brownlee with 2:11 left in the half. BSU ended the half on a 6-1 run extending their lead back to double figures 40-29.
Shivers ignited the Eagles in the second half with a pair of monstrous dunks. Ball State led by nine and then a late run by the Eagles cut the lead to four with 2:38 remaining. Shivers' scored his 21
st points of the contest after converting on a layup and a made free-throw. Treadwell hit his second three-pointer of the game making it a two point contest (74-72) with 1:41 left on the clock.
The Cardinals held a nine-point lead with 3:44 to go before the Eagles came storming back on a 7-1 run with 1:30 remaining. Shivers found a soft spot in the Cardinals defense and began to light up the arena.
Coppin State's only lead of the game (77-76) came at the 1:11 mark of the second half after Shivers converted on a layup where he drew the foul and made the free-throw. BSU quickly responded scoring on a layup (78-77) with 28 seconds and then stretched the lead to two (79-77) on a made free-throw. With nine seconds to go Coppin State put the ball in the hands of Shivers but the Cardinals came up with a solid defensive stop that forced CSU to foul after the blocked shot attempt. BSU missed both attempts with eight seconds to go leaving the Eagles with a final chance at tying the game or a potential game winner with a three-pointer.
In the final moments, Treadwell grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Clayton as he raced down the court. The Eagles final attempt fell short at the rim and the Cardinals escaped with a close 79-77 win. After a slow start in the first half offensively, Coppin State turned things around with hot second half shooting. The Eagles improved from 29% to 53% from the field on 16-of-30 made baskets in the second half.
Shivers led the Eagles with 26 points, Thomas had 14 points, Treadwell had 13 points and Clayton scored ten.
The Eagles will conclude their seven game road trip to begin the season with a Friday night matchup at Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona on Nov. 25
th.
