Coppin's second half charge falls short

EVANSVILLE, IND. – The Coppin State men's basketball team showed plenty of heart and tenacity in dropping a tough 85-80 road decision to the University of Evansville at the Ford Center Sunday afternoon.
 
The Eagles (1-12 overall) rallied from a 19-point second half deficit to take a one-point lead with three minutes, 43 seconds remaining. Unfortunately for Coppin State, it couldn't finish the solid second half showing with a victory to cherish. Despite the tough defeat, the Eagles took more steps forward as they eye the rest of conference play.
 
"I was happy with how we competed in the second half," Coppin State first-year head coach Michael Grant said. "We did a great job defensively and made them earn every shot. We played hard. We also allowed them to one shot or no shot. We rebounded the ball well, took care of the ball in the second half and that gave us an opportunity to get back into the game."
 
Leading Coppin State's charge was junior guard Sterling Smith, who registered a team-high 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. In scoring a season-high point total, Smith reached double-digits in scoring for the sixth consecutive game and 32nd time in his career. He also made four 3-pointers for the third time this season.
 

Senior forward Arnold Fripp notched his second career double-double with 13 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. He was also one of three Coppin State players to finish with two blocked shots. Also reaching double figures in scoring for the Eagles were Daquan Brickhouse (12 points) and Christian Kessee (11).
 
Coppin State cranked up the defense after falling into a 56-37 hole with 16:01 remaining. The Eagles went on a quick 10-0 spurt to get back into the game. Even when Evansville withstood that burst and stretched its lead to 67-57 with 9:31 remaining, Coppin State wasn't deterred.
 
Taariq Cephas nailed a 3-pointer to give Coppin State a 69-68 and cap a 12-1 burst with under four minutes remaining. During the Eagles run, they held Evansville scoreless for nearly four minutes as they played smothering defense. Smith sank a 3-pointer with 2:17 remaining that gave Coppin State its final lead of the contest, 73-72.
 
Coppin State forced 21 turnovers and made 12 3-pointers, the fifth time this season it has made at least 10 triples in a game. Eight of the Eagles 3-pointers came in the second half. The Eagles also finished with a season-high 16 steals with Smith leading the way with four each.
 
Evansville was paced D.J. Balentine's 32-point performance. Egidiju Mockevicius had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Purple Aces, who improved to 10-2 overall.
 
"We have to continue to build off of our second half performance," Grant said. "We have to build off of that and can't just throw it away. As a team, we have to display the same energy and enthusiasm for 40 minutes and continue to compete."
 
Coppin State returns home to face Eastern Kentucky Tuesday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Community Day.