PROVO, Utah – Freshman
Dejuan Clayton scored 11 points tying a season-high in a 96-59 loss to BYU on Thursday, Nov. 17 at the Marriot Center. The Eagles are playing their second of three consecutive games in the second week of their season.
The Eagles grabbed a season-high 39 rebounds, came away with 11 steals and attempted 81 shots from the field. Defensively, Coppin State forced BYU into 22 turnovers but allowed the most points this season at 96. Senior
Terry Harris Jr. tied a career-high with three steals while seniors
Keith Shivers,
Joseph Gripper and red-shirt freshman
Juwan Davenport each tallied two steals. The Cougars made 52% of their shots from the field. BYU finished with four in double figure scoring and Coppin State had a pair.
Dejuan Clayton played a team-high 29 minutes against the Cougars scoring 11 points from off of the bench. He dished out a season-high four assists and made one of the Eagles five three-pointers. Harris Jr. was the other Eagle to finish in double-digit scoring with ten points. He was one rebound shy of a double-double (9) and converted on 3-of-4 attempts from the free-throw line. Shivers scored a season-high nine points in 22 minutes, senior
Joshua Treadwell also scored nine points and red-shirt freshman
Rasool Hinson chipped in with five points.
Clayton and Harris led the Eagles at the half with seven points each. Clayton was 3-of-5 from the field, made a three-pointer and dished out three assists. Harris Jr. made a pair of free-throws and a three-pointer while grabbing four first half rebounds. Coppin State shot 30% from the field (13-43), 21% (3-14) from behind the three-point mark and 37% (3-8) from the charity stripe. Shivers was the third Eagle to make a three and finished the first half with five points.
BYU was forced into 13 first half turnovers by the Coppin State defense. The Cougars made 12-of-14 free-throws and shot 48% (16-33) from the field. The Eagles trailed the entire half and went into halftime down 48-32.
In the second half the Cougars bench took charge and outscored Coppin State's bench 33-13. BYU also dominated the interior with 26 points in the paint and made 18-of-32 shots from the field (56%). The Eagles only made eight field goals and a pair of three-pointers. Harris Jr. recorded four offensive boards in the second half but tired legs and overall fatigue doomed the Eagles on the road. BYU handed Coppin State their fourth loss of the season, 96-59.
The Eagles stay in the state of Utah and will take on the Utes of Utah University on Friday, Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. After their battle with the Pac-12 representative Coppin State's prepared for Ball State in the Main Event of the MGM Grand Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.
