Coppin State falls to No. 1 seed NCCU in quarterfinals

NORFOLK, Va. -- Late in the game, senior guard Taariq Cephas went down the line on the bench and hugged each of his teammates for the last time.
 
He shared a longer embrace with his fellow seniors Arnold Fripp, Daquan Brickhouse, Dallas Gary, Jahvari Josiah and Sterling Smith, a junior who will graduate in May. They all played their last game in a Coppin State uniform.
 
Fripp scored a team-high 14 points in his final collegiate contest, a 91-43 defeat to top-seeded North Carolina Central in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament quarterfinal contest at the Scope Arena Wednesday night. He was the only CSU player to reach double figures as the Eagles concluded the first year of the Michael Grant era with an 8-23 record.
 
"I am real thankful to play at Coppin State," Fripp said. "Coming out of junior college and getting a Division I scholarship was a dream come true for me. I was very blessed to experience that. I was happy to wear this Eagle on my chest and represent Coppin State for the time I was here."
 
Cephas scored nine points and ended his magnificent career with 1,084 career points, which is 18th all-time in CSU history. He also finished with four assists, which upped his final career tally to 451. Cephas will be remembered for a long time for his accomplishments, which include being the second player in CSU history to finish his career with 1,000 career points and 400 career assists.
 
"I owe my life to Coppin State University because coming out of high school, I didn't have any official Division I scholarship offers," Cephas said. "Coppin State took a chance on me and I took advantage of the opportunity. Coppin State made my dream come true and it helped me get the most important thing, which was my degree. I am going to use that degree to my advantage in life and go to graduate school."
 
Cephas kept his blue-and-gold uniform on for as long as possible before removing it for the final time.
 
The departing players also helped Coppin State make history this year as it set a single-season school record with 294 3-pointers made, surpassing the previous standard of 289 held by the 2010-11 squad. For the season, Coppin State was ranked in the top 10 nationally in 3-pointers made per game and led the MEAC in that category as well as scoring offense.
 
In averaging a team-best 13.9 points per game, Smith also led the team with 76 3-pointers. Smith was also second in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage, third in 3-pointers made per game. Coppin State had four players finish with at least 50 3-pointers made this season.
 
Unfortunately for Coppin State, it only made seven 3-pointers and shot 30 percent (15-for-50). Unlike the January match-up when CSU committed six turnovers and lost by two points, the Eagles had 21 turnovers.
 
 
"I don't think we matched North Carolina Central's intensity and they wanted it more," Cephas said. "They out-toughed us and wanted to make a statement to the rest of the conference that they're the leader in the MEAC. It's hard to beat a good team when you're not making shots and turning the ball over."
 
North Carolina Central, which won its 35th straight game against MEAC opponents, advanced to Friday's semifinals on the strength of Jordan Parks' 11th double-double of the season (29 points, 10 rebounds). NCCU raced to a 12-1 lead four minutes into the game and never allowed Coppin State to find an offensive groove.
 
"We ran into a buzzsaw tonight," Grant said. "North Carolina Central was the aggressor from the jump. Once they jumped on us, it was tough to get back into the game. This year's team is built on making shots and taking care of the basketball. We weren't able to do either one of those tonight and that put us in a tough spot."
 
Grant was complimentary of his seniors in the postgame press-conference.
 
"Everything we asked the seniors to do, they have done this year for us," Grant said. "I just wish it was a better opportunity for these guys to have a much better year than we did. We lost a lot of close games this season. I am very thankful for the group that I have to help me put our system in place. This group of seniors was able to set the foundation for our basketball program in the future. Our future is looking very bright for next year."