BALTIMORE – Coppin State ended an overtime thriller with a 63-56 setback to Savannah State at the Physical Education Complex in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) match-up Monday night.
This one hit hard as bad luck left a bitter taste for the Eagles (3-18 overall, 2-8 MEAC).
With eight-tenths of a second remaining in regulation, a layup and missed free-throw by Savannah State forced the Eagles into extra time and the momentum shifted for good.
"That was bad luck right there," head coach
Derek Brown said. "We played okay and had too many turnovers but played well enough to win. We probably should've won. We're on a long stretch where right at the end we can't pull it out."
Redshirt freshman
Genesis Lucas and junior
Janelle Lane combined for 51.8 percent of Coppin State's scoring with 29 points.
Lucas posted a career-high 16 points. She has finished in double figures in six of the last seven games.
Foul trouble kept Lane sidelined but she managed to put up 13 points in her 27 minutes on the floor.
Bria Harris tied her career-best with 12 rebounds, 10 of which were defensive. This was her fifth time this season and seventh in her career grabbing 10 or more boards. She also added six points, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
Coppin State went on 12-4 run to close out the first half with a 24-20 lead. The second half was an intense battle as the two teams exchanged baskets up until the final buzzer sounded in regulation. Both teams went into overtime with determination blazing in their eyes but the fire didn't burn bright enough for the Eagles.
"We made stops defensively but we just weren't performing well offensively," Harris said. "We had a moment where we turned up our intensity but we still had five minutes left. Instead of keeping our intensity up on offense, we ended up not being able to make shots and they did."
Savannah State (12-10, 7-3) had three players in double digits. MEAC Preseason Player of the Year Ezinne Kalu led the way with 27 points. Kenyata Hendrix and Jasmine Norman finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Coppin State concludes its home stand on Saturday against Howard at 2 p.m.
"Tonight was a step up for us," Harris said. "Everyone in the MEAC knows that we play well in the first half and the beginning of the second half. Tonight we changed that up. We were stronger mentally and didn't give up on ourselves. It showed that we could've beaten them. In these last games, it's been hard for teams to beat us. It wasn't easy for them at all. Coming up in these next few games before tournament play, teams need to prepare for our defense."
