BALTIMORE – Now that the Thanksgiving dinner has been digested, the Coppin State men's basketball team is ready to continue its winning ways.
Coppin State (2-2 overall) will welcome cross-town rival Towson (3-3) to the Physical Education Complex Arena for a late Saturday matinee beginning at 4:00 p.m. Somebody will depart the PEC above .500 and with a three-game winning streak.
Towson has enjoyed the upper hand lately, winning the last two meetings between the teams to extend its series advantage to 8-5 overall. The Tigers defeated Coppin State, 84-76 last season at SECU Arena.
Coppin State has been led early in the season by the dynamic duo of Terry Harris, Jr and
Christian Kessee, two of the top six scorers in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Harris' 18.0 point per game average is second in the MEAC while Kessee's 16.3 point per game average is tied for sixth.
With four double-doubles, Harris is tied for the national lead in that category. He's also second in the MEAC and 40th nationally in rebounding. Kessee leads the Eagles with nine 3-pointers after making three against Chestnut Hill in Monday's 92-75 victory that was highlighted by a 32-10 second half run.
James Sylvester has supplied instant energy for the Eagles, averaging 10.8 points while challenging the laws of physics with his tremendous leaping ability. He scored a season-high 17 points against Eastern Kentucky. Josh Treadwell has been steady contributing nine points per contest.
Trevon Seymore has averaged three assists this season.
Meanwhile, Towson enters off victories over Bradley (62-60) and Division III Gallaudet (88-45). Two of its setbacks were to Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. Members of the Colonial Athletic Association, Towson is averaging 67.8 points per game.
In the win over Gallaudet, Mike Morsell scored a team-high 16 points. Timajh Parker-Rivera recorded his first double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. He added three assists and three blocks. Arnaud William Adala Moto filled the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Through six games, Byron Hawkins leads the Tigers in scoring with a 16.3 point per game average, a total good for seventh in the CAA. Adala Moto chips in 12.5 points per outing while Morsell scores at a 10.3 clip. Parker-Rivera (7.5 rebounds per game) and Adala Moto (7.0 rpg.) combine for 14.5 rebounds per contest.
Both squads return to action Wednesday, Dec. 2. Coppin State hits the road for its next game at the University of Akron. It will be the Eagles' third consecutive visit to Akron. Meanwhile, Towson hosts former CAA playmate George Mason, now members of the Atlantic-10 Conference.
