BALTIMORE – The Coppin State men's basketball team continues its season-opening road trip when it visits the University of Iowa for a nationally-televised contest on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tip-off will be 5:01 p.m. Eastern time. The game can be seen on the Big-10 Network.
This is the fourth meeting all-time between the Eagles (0-1 overall) and Hawkeyes (1-0). Iowa has won every matchup – all in Iowa City. Also for Coppin State, this is the second consecutive season that its second contest is on the road against a Big-10 opponent. The Eagles lost at Illinois last year in this spot.
Iowa is one of three teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year that Coppin State will face this season.
Coppin State and Iowa are literally two different squads from last season. Both teams are among the Division I leaders in newcomers this season. Portland State and Tennessee State have 11, followed by Iowa, UTEP, and Nebraska with 10. Coppin State has nine newcomers on its roster. Seven of Coppin State's nine newcomers are junior college transfers.
Despite a 107-80 loss in its opener at Eastern Kentucky, there were some bright spots for the Eagles to build upon. Junior guard
Christian Kessee tallied a team-best 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Junior guard
James Sylvester and junior forward Terry Harris combined for 30 points and 18 rebounds off the bench.
They were a big reason why Coppin State won the battle of the benches 47-36 and outrebounded the Colonels 44-42. Harris finished with a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) in his Coppin State debut. Overall, seven Coppin State players played at least 20 minutes against Eastern Kentucky.
Iowa, which posted a 22-12 record last season, won its fifth straight season opener, recording a 76-59 home triumph over Gardner-Webb. Iowa had the advantage on the glass, pulling down seven more rebounds against Gardner Webb (46-39).
Iowa freshman Ahmad Wagner corralled a team-high eight rebounds. Senior Jarrod Uthoff poured in a game-high 21 points, while also collecting six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Iowa's newcomers combined to score 20 points.
Coppin State begins a three-game homestand against Goldey-Beacom College Wednesday afternoon starting at 12:00 p.m. The Eagles will also host Chestnut Hill College (Monday, Nov. 23) and Towson (Saturday, Nov. 28).
