BALTIMORE – The Coppin State women's basketball team welcomed the sweet taste of victory in a 70-65 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) win over Florida A&M Monday night in the Physical Education Complex.
The Eagles (3-12 overall, 2-2 MEAC) were hitting on all cylinders in the second half, especially when freshman guard
Candice Beverly came off the bench.
"I know coach Brown has a lot of faith in me," Beverly said. "This was finally the chance where I got to show him that I could do it. It boosts me up a lot."
Beverly was undoubtedly the spark that Coppin State needed as it stormed back from a 10-point deficit in the final 10 minutes, 28 seconds for a win to remember. In 13 minutes, she scored a career-high seven points, pulled down three rebounds and dished three assists.
"We've been waiting for Candice," Coppin State head coach
Derek Brown said. "She hasn't had much playing time. I'm not going to put you in the game if I don't think you're ready in practice but she's shown every day in practice that she is probably the hardest worker. From the beginning of practice till the end of practice, two and a half hours, she is in there working very hard. She finally got her shot today and she showed us what she can do. To me, she's responsible for us winning this game."
Janelle Lane scored 15 points to lead CSU.Beverly's spark flickered bright enough to also light a fire in
Janelle Lane as the two fed off of each other's intensity. The junior forward finished with 15 points, 13 of which were tallied after intermission. Lane has eight games this season and 15 career showings scoring double digits.
"When Candice starts going I always look at her," Lane said. "I wait to see if she's going to shoot or pass the ball. If she shoots, I'm going for the rebound. If she doesn't, I'll be right there to catch the pass."
Jordan Swails definitely had a hot hand in the first half, scoring 10 of her total 14 points. She was perfect from the foul line in the first 20 minutes of play, going 8-for-8. This is the fourth straight game she has tallied double figures in scoring.
Making her first career start,
Genesis Lucas tallied 11 points, a career-best seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Amber Griffin also notched 11 points.
Despite trailing, 39-32, at intermission, the Eagles refused to lose, battling hard to tie the game at 54 with 5:31 remaining. The two teams exchanged baskets and tied the score three more times before Griffin fed Lucas the ball for the go ahead three-pointer. Coppin State's only three-pointer of the game gave the Eagles a 65-62 lead with 90 seconds remaining.
Olivia Antilla and Dawn King recorded 17 points apiece for FAMU. Khaderja Young had 12 points and seven rebounds while Taneka Rubin earned 11 points.
The Lady Rattlers shot 72.7 percent from the floor in the first half. True to their nature, the Eagles stepped up their defensive effort, holding FAMU to 29.2 percent shooting after the break.
"One of the things I'm saying to my young ladies is don't give up offensive rebounds, limit our turnovers and don't foul," Brown said. "I think we did a pretty good job of all three of those phases."
Coppin State begins its three-game MEAC road trip against North Carolina Central on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Durham. The Eagles will also visit North Carolina A&T and Maryland-Eastern Shore.
