Men's Basketball | 2/15/2015 10:39:00 PM
BALTIMORE – Gentlemen, start your engines.
The racecar analogy is perfect as Coppin State plays its penultimate road game of the season against Delaware State Monday night at Memorial Hall in Dover. Tip-time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. This contest matches the top two scoring offenses in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
In addition, the Eagles (5-20 overall, 4-8 MEAC) and Hornets (12-13, 6-4) are also the top shooting 3-point squads in the conference. CSU leads the MEAC and is ranked 11th nationally in 3-pointers made per game (9.4). DSU is second in the conference at 7.3 3-pointers made per contest.
SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: Two of Coppin State's remaining four games are against Delaware State. The Hornets visit the Eagles in the season finale on Thursday, March 5. Last season, Coppin State took both meetings against DSU, winning 73-54 in Dover in December and 54-53 at home in February. Coppin State leads the all-time series, 43-22, after having won four of the last six games in the series. Monday's game matches the top two scoring offenses in the conference: Coppin State (70.2 points per game) and Delaware State (69.2)
LAST TIME OUT: The Eagles are coming off a 77-60 to Howard despite
Sterling Smith and
Taariq Cephas combining for 35 points and nine 3-pointers. Smith netted 18 points and Cephas added 17 points, including the 1,000th of his career with 7:57 remaining in the first half. Coppin State had 11 assists on its 20 baskets.
EXCLUSIVE CLUB: Cephas is only the second player in Coppin State history to score 1,000 career points and hand out 400 assists. He currently has 1,009 points and 421 assists. The only other player in that 1,000-400 club is Tywain McKee (2,158 points & 406 assists). Cephas needs five points to move past Mark Carroll (1,013 points) and into 21st place all-time on the CSU scoring list.
HOMEBOY: Cephas will have a large family contingent in attendance as he is from Bear, which is about 45 minutes from Dover. Last season at Delaware State, Cephas posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists.
SMITH ON FIRE: Over Coppin State's last five games,
Sterling Smith is averaging 19.4 points per contest on an amazing 62.7 percent shooting from the field (32-for-51) and 63.0 percent from 3-point distance (17-for-27). He scored a career-high 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting against Savannah State. Also during this stretch, Smith made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining that gave the Eagles a win over South Carolina State. Smith leads CSU in scoring (12.8) and 3-pointers (58).
THREE FOR ALL: Coppin State has made nine or more 3-pointers in a game 18 times this season. The Eagles have made at least 10 in seven of their last eight games. Against Savannah State, Coppin State opened the game by making its first seven 3-point field goal attempts.
A LOOK AT DELAWARE STATE: After a four-game skid, Delaware State has won its last two games, including Saturday's 91-85 road victory over Maryland Eastern Shore. Kendal Williams scored a career-high 22 points against UMES. The Hornets are 5-3 at home this season. Top scorers for Delaware State are Amere May (18.4 points per game), Kendall Gray (11.8) and Tyshawn Bell (10.7). May and Bell are two of the top 3-point shooters in the MEAC. They have combined to make 102 3-pointers. May also dropped 20 points against the Hawks. Delaware State has made 27 3-pointers in its last two games while averaging 90.5 points.
UP NEXT: Coppin State returns home to host Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon beginning at 4:00 p.m.
