BALTIMORE, Md. – Red-shirt junior guard
Genesis Lucas finished with a career-high 26 points for the Eagles in a 73-63 loss at UMBC on Saturday, December 31
st in the REC Arena.
Genesis Lucas played the entire 40-minutes of action finishing with a career-high 26 points. Lucas made 10-of-24 field goals and 4-of-9 three-pointers which were also career-best in her second 20+ point game of the season.
The Eagles enter Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play without a victory at 0-12. The last time Coppin State failed to register a non-conference win was back in the 2005-06 season. UMBC improves to 5-8.
Coppin State held the advantage at the free-throw line sinking 14-of-18 attempts posting a team season-high 77.8% against the Retrievers. The Eagles point total (63), field goals made (21), field goal percentage (.356), three-point field goals made (7) and assists (13) were all second best performances throughout their non-conference stretch of games. UMBC led for the majority of the game and jumped out to a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. Coppin State hit the glass grabbing 12 offensive rebounds and connecting on 15 second chance points.
Both teams battled in the first quarter with UMBC holding a slight 13-11 advantage. Lucas paced the Eagles with five first quarter points. CSU tied the game after senior
Keena Samuels hit her second jumper of the afternoon in the beginning of the second quarter. Graduate
Tiara Goode gave Coppin State their first lead of the afternoon (15-13) on a pair of free-throws with 7:38 to go in the first half.
The Eagles went ahead two more times in the second quarter but only by two points. UMBC responded and took a four point lead into the halftime, 25-21. Lucas carried the first half scoring for the Eagles with seven points. Freshman
Chance Graham added six points and both Samuels and Goode each had four points.
UMBC came out in the third quarter on an 8-0 run jumping out to a double-digit lead (36-23) at the 6:21 mark. Lucas ended the drought for Coppin State with the first of four three-pointers in the quarter. Goode and Lucas both made two from behind the arc and graduate
Vanessa Neal hit the final one cutting the UMBC lead to five (46-41) with 53-seconds left. Despite the hot shooting from long range the Eagles trailed by seven (50-43) approaching the fourth quarter.
In the final ten minutes of action Lucas scored 11 points anchoring the CSU offense. She went 4-for-6 in the quarter from the field, 2-for-2 from the charity stripe and made 1-of-2 three pointers. UMBC matched Coppin State's run and held on for a 73-63 victory.
Three UMBC players finished with double-digits led by Te'yjah Oliver's 19 points. Tyler Moore had 17 points and Lucrezia Costa led the bench with 11 points.
Tiara Goode finished with 12 points and a season-high four made free-throws.
Chance Graham tied her season-high with 13 points scored on four made field goals and five made free-throws. She also led the Eagles rebounding effort with six boards including four offensive rebounds.
Keena Samuels added six point and was a force defensively with three steals and five rebounds.
Vanessa Neal tied a career-high with four assists, made a three-pointer finishing with five points.
Coppin State will open up Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play at home against South Carolina State on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. The Eagles lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs 40-25 including an 81-62 victory in the semifinal round of last year's MEAC Basketball Tournament on March 11, 2016. The last time both teams met in the Physical Education Complex, SCSU won 68-58 on February 7, 2015.
