Box Score BALTIMORE – The Coppin State men's basketball team dropped a 73-68 decision to Norfolk State Saturday night in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's basketball game at the Physical Education Complex.
The Eagles (9-18 overall, 6-8 MEAC) had three players reach double digits in scoring highlighted by junior guard
Taariq Cephas, who finished with 19 points. Cephas continued a stretch of excellent play by reaching double figures for the third time in four games. Over his last four games, Cephas is averaging 13.2 points and 6.5 assists. He scored 12 points after intermission as Coppin State lit up the scoreboard for 41 points.
Sterling Smith scored 14 points and made four 3-pointers. It was the 16th time this season Smith has scored in double figures. He has been on fire lately from 3-point distance as he has made 12 in Coppin State's last three games. Andre Armstrong scored all 13 of his points in the second half.
As a team, Coppin State made 10 3-pointers, the second time in three games the Eagles have made double digit 3-pointers. Coppin State did a decent job of sharing the ball finishing with 13 assists on its 20 baskets. The Eagles also made the most of their opportunities at the foul line by making 18-of-21.
For the Eagles, this was another frustrating five-point setback at home. Trailing by 13 points with 93 seconds remaining, Coppin State displayed plenty of fight and heart by slicing its deficit to 71-68 following a Michael Murray 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining. That would be as close as the Eagles would get.
Norfolk State (15-11, 9-3) had a trio of players finish with 15 points each (Brandon Goode, Pendarvis Williams and Malcolm Hawkins). The Spartans also shot 50 percent from the floor.
Coppin State had a pair of early four-point leads at 13-9 following a Smith 3-pointer, 15-11 after a Murray basket and 17-13 with 12:43 remaining in the first half after a
Dallas Gary layup.
Despite where they stand in the MEAC, the Eagles will have an opportunity to win the conference tournament. Once the madness of March commences, anything can happen. Nobody knows that better than Coppin State's legendary head coach Ron
"Fang" Mitchell, who witnessed more funny things and craziness during his 28 years at the helm of the Eagles than every Kevin Hart movie combined.
The Eagles have plenty of NCAA tournament history to draw upon. As a No. 15 seed, they were the first MEAC school to beat a No. 2 seed in 1997. In 2008, the Eagles became the first team in the history of the NCAA championship to qualify for the tournament with 20 losses after winning four games in four days by a combined six points to win the MEAC tournament. That Coppin State squad led by Tywain McKee overcame a 4-19 start to the season to get to the tournament.
So things may not look good presently for the Eagles, who are riding a three-game losing streak, but the MEAC tournament offers hope and a fresh opportunity to experience that championship feeling. Anything is possible.
Now the Eagles will have a week off to prepare for its championship run and the final two regular season home games against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Howard on Monday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m.
