BALTIMORE – Well, it's on to the second season for the Coppin State men's basketball team following its 104-92 loss to visiting Delaware State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season finale for both squads at the Physical Education Complex Thursday night.
The Eagles concluded the season with an overall record of 7-22 while playing the 11th tough non-conference schedule in Division I, losing to seven teams in the top 100 of ESPN's Basketball Percentage Index (BPI) and playing 14 of their first 15 games of the season on the road. Delaware State concluded its regular season at 15-16.
Sophomore
Christian Kessee led four Coppin State players in double figures with a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Kessee also made four 3-pointers, the 12th time this season he has made at least multiple triples in a game. His previous career best was 23 points against Florida A&M. Kessee drained a 3-pointer that gave Coppin State its final lead of the game, 48-45, with 14 minutes, 52 seconds remaining.
Senior
Taariq Cephas scored 16 points to move past Milton Young and into 18th all-time on the Coppin State scoring chart. Cephas has 1,067 career points. He also handed out seven assists, the 16th time this season he's handed out at least five assists in a game.
Senior
Sterling Smith collected 16 points and handed out four assists. Senior
Arnold Fripp scored 13 points while senior
Dallas Gary grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. Gary made a pair of foul shots with 13:21 remaining that tied the game for the final time, 50-50.
Coppin State sank 13 3-pointers, the 22nd time this season it has made at least nine 3-pointers in a game. The Eagles have made double-digit 3-pointers in a single game 16 times this season, including 11 of their last 12 contests. Coppin State won the battle of the benches, 32-5 and scored 23 points off of 14 Delaware State turnovers.
Despite Coppin State's balanced offensive effort, Delaware State's triumvirate of Amere May (40 points), Kendall Gray (33 points, 30 rebounds) and Tyshawn Bell (15 points) was tough to contain. They combined to score 62 of Delaware State's 70 points in the second half.
Both teams will compete in next week's MEAC Tournament against an opponent and time to be determined either on Monday or Tuesday. The MEAC is scheduled to release its official tournament bracket sometime Friday morning. Check back to www.coppinstatesports.com for all the details on Coppin State's opening round game.
