BALTIMORE – When the dust cleared and all the madness ended, it was Bethune-Cookman that emerged as Coppin State's first round
dance
partner Tuesday night at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament in Norfolk at the Scope Arena.
The Wildcats (7-24 overall, 5-11 MEAC) started the final night of the regular season as the No. 12 seed. When the final buzzer sounded and the regular season came to a rest, the Wildcats had finished in a five-way tie for eighth place. Howard took the eighth seed based on winning percentage against the five tied teams and North Carolina A&T took ninth on winning percentage against higher seeds.
Bethune-Cookman was the one MEAC team that Eagles (10-19, 7-9) did not face this season. The winner of this contest will meet No. 2 seed Hampton in Wednesday's quarterfinal round at 8:00 p.m.
Coppin State is 4-1 all-time against Bethune-Cookman in the MEAC Tournament. The last time they met in the MEAC Tournament was in last year's first round. The Wildcats defeated Coppin State, 89-78, despite
Taariq Cephas' career-high 27 point performance.
Andre Armstrong finished with 17 points while
Michael Murray had 14 points. Coppin State held a 33-32 lead at halftime, but Bethune-Cookman shot 57.1 percent from the floor in the second half on its way to scoring 57 second-half points.
Coppin State beat Bethune-Cookman in the MEAC Tournament, 56-44, in 2007. Coppin State also defeated Bethune Cookman in 1991, 1995 and 1997. The Eagles topped the Wildcats 76-60 in the semifinals in 1997, 88-75 in the semifinals in 1995 and 92-67 in the quarterfinals in 1991.
Coppin State has posted a 4-2 overall record in MEAC Tournament games played at the Norfolk Scope Arena. The Eagles were 1-1 in 1991 and 0-1 in 1992 before winning the tournament in 1993 with a 3-0 record. Coppin State defeated Delaware State 80-53 to capture its second MEAC Tournament title. Coppin lost to the Wildcats last year. Overall, Coppin State has a combined record of 29-21 in the MEAC Tournament.
Both squads enter the MEAC with the momentum of a season-ending victory.
Coppin State defeated Howard, 86-69, Monday night. Expect plenty of 3-point field goals to be hoisted as these are the top two teams in the conference in 3-pointers made per game. Coppin State made 213 3-pointers (7.3 per game) while Bethune-Cookman drilled 209 3-pointers (6.7).
The Wildcats have been led most of the season by its trio of Malik Jackson (11.1 points per game), Mikel Trapp (11.2) and Cleymne Owens (11.0). They all have made at least 50 3-pointers this season. All three players are in the top 10 in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage. Bethune-Cookman has made at least 10 3-pointers in a single game four times this year, including an amazing 15-for-18 effort against South Carolina State from downtown in a 91-59 win on Feb. 3. Tony Kynard leads the Wildcats with 90 assists.
Bethune-Cookman finished the regular season with a 70-68 victory over its in-state rival Florida A&M. Taylor and Owens each scored 22 points to lead the Wildcats. Taylor posted both a career-high scoring night and his first career-double (10 rebounds) as the Wildcats snapped a three-game losing streak as well as a five-game Rattler run. Following a 17-game losing streak, the Wildcats finished the season by splitting its final 10 games.
Meanwhile, Coppin State has made at least 10 3-pointers in a game this season nine times. The Eagles banged a season-high 13 triples against North Carolina A&T in a 70-54 win on Jan. 27. The Eagles enter the tournament averaging 10 3-pointers made per game in their last three games against Norfolk State, UMES and Howard. They made 12 3-pointers against Howard in their season finale. Coppin State also made 10 3-pointers in its 78-73 win over Oregon State on Nov. 10.
The Eagles have been paced this season by the quartet of Murray, Armstrong,
Sterling Smith and Cephas. Murray leads the Eagles in scoring (14.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.0). Seventh in the MEAC in rebounding, Murray has 17 career double-doubles, including six this season. During his career, he has scored in double figures 44 times. Murray has scored in double figures in three of Coppin State's last four games. He has hit for 20 for more points eight times this season.
Armstrong, one of the most electric scorers in the conference, is averaging 12.7 points per game. Armstrong scored a season-high 23 points against Howard. He has made at least two 3-pointers in a game 17 times this season.
Smith, who scored 21 points in the win at Oregon State, scores at a 10.9 point per game clip. Cephas is averaging 9.4 points per contest and averages 4.3 assists per game, which is third in the conference. Junior guard
Daquan Brickhouse fueled Coppin State's win over Howard by scoring a career-high 20 points while adding seven assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
Coppin State leads the MEAC in free throw percentage. The Eagles have four players who shoot at least 80 percent from the free-throw line: Armstrong (83.9), Brickhouse (85.7), Cephas (81.1) and Chrisian Keesee (84.6).
Coppin State is looking to win its first MEAC tournament championship since 2008. The Eagles have participated in the NCAA tournament in 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2008.
Of course, 1997 is the magical year when Coppin State became the first MEAC team to win a NCAA tournament game. The 15th-seeded Eagles beat No. 2 South Carolina, 78-65 behind a spectacular 22-point performance from Danny Singletary and a 20-point effort from Antoine Brockington. In that contest, Coppin State outrebounded the Gamecocks, 41-30.
Also, the 1997 tournament victory would have never happened if the Eagles didn't rally from a 19-point deficit to beat Maryland-Eastern Shore in the opening round of the MEAC tournament that year. And then there's 2008 when the Eagles became the first team in NCAA history to qualify for the NCAA tournament with a losing record after winning four games by six points to capture the MEAC tournament.
