BALTIMORE – With the Thanksgiving weekend in the past, the Coppin State men's basketball team is looking to capture its first road win of the season.
Coppin State has welcomed strong performances from several players in the early non-conference season. The Eagles are finding their stride as they prepare for to play seven of their next nine games away from PEC Arena.
Coppin State (2-3) will travel to James A. Rhodes Arena for the third consecutive season for an 8:00 p.m. tipoff against the University of Akron (4-2).
The Zips won the previous two meetings and defeated the Eagles in last year's matchup, 79-62.
The dynamic duo of
Terry Harris Jr., and
Christian Kessee are two of the top ten scorers in the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Harris Jr., is pouring in 15.2 points per game good for eighth in the MEAC and Kessee tied for ninth with 15 points per contest.
Harris Jr., is tied for tenth nationally with four double doubles in five games this season. He is also second in the MEAC in rebounds per game with 9.4. Kessee leads the Eagles with 11 made 3-pointers and has scored in double figures every game this season. He is averaging over two made 3-pointers per game.
Coppin State has had a double digit bench scorer in all five games this season.
Joshua Treadwell and
James Sylvester have supplied the Eagles with instant energy and tremendous all around play.
Treadwell led the Eagles with a career best 15 points and five rebounds in a loss to Towson. He has four straight double digit scoring contests. Sylvester leads the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage with an impressive 58.3% accuracy from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, the Zips, members of the Mid-American Conference, finished the 2015 National Invitational Tournament Season Tipoff 2-2. The Zips began the tournament with a win on the road against Arkansas 88-80 and a home win over Charleston Southern 82-58, Friday night. Both of their losses came on the road against #8 Villanova of the Big East and Green Bay of the Big South.
In the win over Charleston Southern freshman guard Josh Williams and senior wing Reggie McAdams who both scored 14 points. Sophomore guard Aaron Jackson contributed 13 points while senior center Pat Forsythe was one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Coppin State will return to PEC Arena when they welcome the Hampton Pirates for a 4:00 p.m. showdown December 5. It will be for the Eagles MEAC home opener for the 2015-16 season.
