Coppin bracing for rare visit from No. 14 Maryland

Women's Basketball | 12/18/2014 9:24:00 AM

BALTIMORE – The Coppin State women's basketball team has spent most of the month of December competing against Top 25 teams. However, Sunday's impending encounter against 14th-ranked Maryland is refreshingly different.
 
Maryland, also ranked 11th in the USA Today Coaches' poll, is making the 30-minute drive from College Park to Baltimore for the 2:00 p.m. tipoff. This in-state battle between the Eagles (1-8 overall) and Terrapins (8-2) will be played at the Physical Education Complex on Coppin State's campus.
 
The Terrapins will be the highest-ranked team to ever play in the PEC. In 2007, Coppin State hosted Louisville at the defunct Coppin Center. The Cardinals were members of the Big East Conference at that time and featured Baltimore native Angel McCoughtry. Georgetown also visited the PEC as a member of the Big East in 2011.
 
A team from one of the top power conferences rarely makes road trips like this. Usually, it's the other way around. Overall, Maryland's visit to Coppin State completes a memorable week for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) schools. Earlier in the week, No. 1-ranked South Carolina visited Hampton. Also, this season Savannah State hosted Florida.
 

This clash between Coppin State and Maryland matches two of the finest women's programs in the state. Under veteran coach Derek Brown, Coppin State has enjoyed 10 winning seasons, including three consecutive, made three trips to the NCAA tournament and two more to the WNIT. The Eagles have also won at least 20 games in a season five times.
 
The Eagles have built their reputation on defense through the years and are always a difficult riddle to solve for opponents.
 
"We'll probably get more people here than normal for one of our home games," Brown said. "I think our young ladies will enjoy that. Our team will have to step up and they know they're playing a formidable team. We've played top 20 teams this year and now we get one at home. We're excited about playing them."
 
Maryland won the NCAA title in 2006 and advanced to a pair of Final Fours, including last season's run as a No. 4 seed. Under head coach Brenda Freese, the Terps have had 11 winning seasons, 10-straight 20-win seasons, four 30-win campaigns and made 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament.  
 
The Terrapins have been ranked in 81 straight Associated Press polls, dating back to the preseason poll of the 2010-11 season. In its first year as a member of the Big Ten Conference, the Terps are preseason favorites to win the league crown. Freese has tremendous respect for the Eagles and their program.
 
"The first thing I'll say about Coppin State is that Coach Brown and his staff are really good," Freese said. "They've done a terrific job there and have had some very competitive teams. We know that they will be very well prepared for us. From our end, I like playing our local opponents and getting to learn a little more about them by playing at their places."
 
Coppin State and Maryland last faced each other in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament at College Park. The Eagles drove the Terrapins crazy, were highly competitive, led for much of the first half and threw a scare into the top-seeded Terrapins before falling, 80-66. That Maryland team was loaded with four players who eventually were high WNBA draft selections.
 
This season, the Eagles' overall record is slightly deceiving considering this will be Coppin State's third home game of the season. Coppin played at Georgia and West Virginia this month.
 
The Eagles dropped a 70-54 decision to Miami in its last game on Saturday. The Eagles made 50 percent of their shots after intermission. Bria Harris (12 points) and Keena Samuels (11) were Coppin State's leading scorers against the Hurricanes. Earlier this month against undefeated Georgia, the Eagles limited the Bulldogs to 26 percent shooting and 49 points.
 
Coppin State has been led in scoring this season by the inside tandem of Janelle Lane and Bria Harris, who are among the top 15 scorers in the MEAC this season. Lane averages a team best 10.9 points per game. Harris scores at 10.8 point per game clip. She also leads the Eagles in rebounding (7.7), steals (14) and blocked shots (seven). They each scored 20 or more points in Coppin State's victory over Virginia Union.
 
Meanwhile, Maryland has won two straight games after its loss to fifth-ranked Notre Dame in the ACC/Big Ten challenge. In its last outing, Maryland used two 15-0 runs in the first half to fly by American, 94-50, Friday night. Sophomore Shatori Walker-Kimbrough led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. 
 
Laurin Mincy added 16 points and eight boards, while Brionna Jones and freshman Kristen Confroy each posted 11. Sophomore Lexie Brown, who was named to the Naismith Award Top 50 Watch List, dished a season-high eight assists.
 
The Eagles defense will be tested by Maryland's accuracy.
 
The Terrapins lead the Big Ten and are fourth in the country with their field goal percentage of 49.4 percent. They trail UConn, Baylor and Oregon State. The Terps are third in the nation in free throw percentage (78.6), which also leads the Big Ten.
 
Coppin State plays its final non-conference contest next Sunday when it hosts Virginia Commonwealth in another matinee beginning at 3:00 p.m.