2014-15 Women's Basketball Season Recap

BALTIMORE – The 2014-15 season for Coppin State's women's basketball team was full of memorable moments.
 
The Eagles' 71-56 opening round victory over crosstown rival Morgan State to advance to the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament ranked high on the list of accomplishments.
 
After dropping two regular season meetings to the Lady Bears, Coppin State's starting five left their hearts on the court the third time around. All five starters scored in double figures in the same game for the first time all season. The Eagles posted its second highest field goal percentage of the season (44.2 percent), hit five of its nine three-pointers (55.6 percent) and shot 83.3 percent from the foul line (20-of-24).
 
It was the most cohesive game the Eagles played and the first time in program history they bested MSU in the MEAC Tournament, all when it counted most.
 
Part of Coppin State's success was attributed to the leadership efforts of lone senior Bria Harris.
 
Harris had her best season to date with 28 appearances, 258 points, 203 rebounds, 29 steals, 21 assists and 15 blocks. In her last time wearing gold and blue in the Physical Education Complex, Harris went out with a bang with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the 79-51 win over Delaware State Mar. 5 for her third career double-double.
 
For her career, Harris had 17 double figure scoring games, 12 of which occurred this season. She pulled down double digit rebounds seven times this season and nine times in her career. She led Coppin State in rebounding 13 times and averaged a team-best 7.3 boards per outing, which ranked eighth in the MEAC. Harris led the team and ranked fifth in the MEAC in defensive rebounds (139).
 
While Harris was closing her career, redshirt freshman Genesis Lucas' journey was beginning.
 
At the start of the season, Lucas came off the bench to provide extra help at the guard position. Midway through the season, it was as if someone flipped a switch and Lucas stepped into the spotlight. She entered the starting lineup on Jan. 19 against Florida A&M and was a fixture there in Coppin State's last 15 games.
 
Thanks to her career-high 22 points against Delaware State Feb. 16 and 19 point-performance against Hampton, Lucas was named MEAC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 23.
 
During her time as a member of Coppin State's starting five, Lucas averaged 12.8 points per game, 4.2 assists per contest, 1.7 steals per outing and led the Eagles in three-point field goal percentage (44.4). She scored double digits in 12 of the 15 games she started and led the team in steals eight times. Lucas dished 82 assists (3.0 apg) this season, which stood second on the team and 10th in the MEAC. Her impressive efforts on the offensive end earned her a spot on the MEAC All-Rookie Team.
 
Lucas was not the only Eagle that caught the conference's eye.
 
Junior Jordan Swails enjoyed a season to remember as she led the team in scoring (11.3 ppg), was second in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and made a team-best 30 three-pointers. Her three-point field goal percentage (38.5) ranked second in the MEAC while her field goal percentage (45.6) stood 10th. Swails was named the MEAC Player of the Week on Jan. 12 as she averaged 18 points and eight rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor in two games.
 
Swails' accolades didn't end there. In helping Coppin State advance to the MEAC quarterfinals, Swails averaged a team-high 14.5 points and 6.5 boards in two tournament games against MSU and eventual MEAC Tournament champion Savannah State. Swails shot 50 percent from the floor (9-for-18) and 88.9 percent from the foul line (8-of-9). Her performance landed her on the 2015 MEAC All-Tournament Team.
 
Classmate Amber Griffin finished the season with a team-high 96 assists. She averaged 3.3 assists per game, which was fifth in the conference. Griffin entered the 2014-15 season with 197 career assists and boosted her total to 293, which ranks third among all-time assists leaders in school history. Griffin dished three or more assists 19 times this season and led the Eagles in assists 16 times.
 
She tied her career-high 10 assists against Bethune-Cookman Jan. 17 and posted her first career double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) against Delaware State Mar. 5.
 
With Griffin setting up the play, junior Janelle Lane often finished it. Lane was the second-best scorer for the Eagles (10.0 ppg). She led the team in field goal percentage (46.5), which ranked ninth in the MEAC. Lane averaged 4.7 rebounds per game and blocked 23 shots to place her 11th among conference leaders. Lane posted two double-doubles, including 17 points and career-best 11 rebounds against Howard Feb. 14 and a career-high 20 points and 10 boards against Virginia Union Nov. 29.
 
The Eagles also had plenty of help in reserve.  
 
In Coppin State's 70-65 win over Florida A&M, freshman Candice Beverly was the spark that Coppin State needed as it stormed back from a 10-point deficit in the final 10 minutes for a win to remember. In 13 minutes, she scored a career-high seven points, pulled down three rebounds and dished three assists.
 
Junior Tanaysa Henderson led the Eagles with a career-high 13 points against West Virginia Dec. 6. Sophomore Keena Samuels posted a career-high 17 points against Wake Forest Nov. 23.
 
Classmate Omaah Tayong tied her career-best 12 points at Wake Forest. Tayong grabbed 10 rebounds three times this season and led the team in rebounding five times. She topped the Eagles with 25 blocks, which stood 10th in the conference.
 
Also making contributions this year were freshmen Oluwaseun Adeniji and D'Ajahnae Smith.
 
At the helm this season was none other than veteran head coach Derek Brown, whose team finished 7-22 overall. In his 16th season, Brown earned his 250th career win thanks to three players putting up double figures in the 75-61 victory over Howard Feb. 14.
 
Brown is only losing one player and will return five seniors for next year's lineup so there won't be a shortage of leadership. However, Brown wants his players to take things to the next level and be prepared to work hard in the offseason.
 
"I want them to mentally prepare themselves for how physical things will have to get in order to get to where you want to be," Brown said. "The mental part of the game is what gets you to a championship, the hours that you have to put in and the strain that you have to go through when nobody's looking. When you're doing it on your own, that's the mental part of it. When people are around and you're going hard, that's one thing but when you're in the gym or weight room by yourself and you're going as hard as you can, that's mental toughness. That's what we're striving for."