Eagles Soar Over Wildcats in First MEAC Win

BALTIMORE- The Coppin State men's basketball captured a plethora of firsts in its 62-54 victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Saturday afternoon in Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, FL.
 
The win was Coppin State's (3-14, 1-3) first win of the season away from PEC Arena. It was also the Eagles first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) win of the 2015-16 season.
 
The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak for the Eagles, as they shot 78.6% from the free throw line.
 
Junior Christian Kessee led the Eagles with 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. He added two assists and one rebound in 28 minutes.
 
Kessee knocked down two 3-point field goals in both halves.
 
Junior Keith Shivers nearly recorded a double double as he finished with 10 points and nine rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
 
Shivers opened the scoring for Coppin State on a half-court alley-oop from junior Trevon Seymore that stopped a Bethune-Cookman 9-0 run. He also connected on two clutch baskets down the stretch that kept the Wildcats from closing their second half deficit.
 
Seymore added nine points, a team best four assists and two rebounds in 33 minutes of game action.
 
Blake Simpson scored a career best eight points and snatched six rebounds in a team best 34 minutes. He added two assists and one block on a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
 
He went 2-of-3 from the field in the win.
 
James Sylvester and Lucian Brownlee helped the Eagles win the battle of the benches, 17-7.
 
Sylvester finished with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. He shot 3-of-5 from the floor and sank all three of his foul shots, including two in the final seconds to help seal the game for the Eagles.
 
Brownlee stepped up with eight points on 2-of-5 shooting from long distance. Brownlee's personal 8-0 run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers, helped the Eagles take the lead midway through the first half.
 
Terry Harris Jr., grabbed a career and team season best 14 rebounds for the Eagles. He added four points.
 
The Eagles also finished ahead of the Wildcats in rebounds, fast break points and second chance points.
 
For Bethune-Cookman (5-13, 2-2), it was the team's second loss in their last three MEAC games.
 
Mario Moody led the Wildcats with 14 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Potts finished with 12 points and four assists.
 
Coppin State will conclude its MEAC road trip with a matchup against Florida A&M on Monday night January 18 in the Al Lawson Center in Tallahassee, FL. Tipoff is at 8:00 p.m.