Norfolk, VA— Senior forward
Janelle Lane scored a game-high 20 points to lead four players in double figures to help Coppin State pull away to 63-53 win over Morgan State in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament at Scope Arena on Thursday March 10. The Lady Eagles will play South Carolina State on Friday at noon in the semifinal round.
"We didn't want to lose," said Lane, a native of Baltimore, MD. "We were just trying to stay focus. We had to keep the same energy throughout the game."
Lane added four rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes on game action. She went 6-for-9 from the field while knocking down eight of her 10 foul shots.
"That's the biggest problem with me is getting into foul trouble early," Lane said. "Today I just tried to calm down, play my game and let the game come to me."
Lane scored 14of her 20 points in the first 20 minutes of the game.
Head coach
Derek Brown was pleased with how his team remained calm and executed down the stretch to fight off a furious Morgan State comeback effort.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Brown said. "Third time playing them. I thought execution was key in running our plays. I have seniors and they aren't ready to go home yet. When it gets down to four or five points, they sort of turn back on again."
Amber Griffin tallied 11 points, five rebounds, two steals and an assist on 5-for-9 accuracy from the floor.
She knocked down her lone 3-point field goal while playing 37 minutes.
"It was about the intelligence throughout the game," said Griffin, a senior from Locust Grove, GA. "We were very poised and very calm throughout the game. Smart shots are always a big part of the game."
Keena Samuels also chipped in 11 points for Coppin State. She added four rebounds, a team best three steals and one assist in 34 minutes.
Jordan Swails compiled 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench, including a offensive rebound and put back layup to give the Lady Eagles an 57-51 lead with 1:12 to play in the game.
"Jordan is probably the toughest player on our team, physically," Brown said. "I'll take her heart any day, and toughness. She's our sixth starter. It's not like we have five starters, we have six."
Genesis Lucas led the Lady Eagles with six assists. She added eight points, seven rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes on the court.
Coppin State shot 38.9% from the field (22-for-57) while holding Morgan State to 29.7% accuracy from the floor (19-for-64).
The Lady Eagles owned the paint outscored the Lady Bears, 26-18 in the painted area and winning the battle of the boards, 46-38.
The Lady Eagles defense forced 14 turnovers leading to 17 points and 11 steals.
Beaennan Farrar led Morgan State with 12 points and six assists. Zuri White added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Lady Bears.
The Lady Eagles have now won eight consecutive games.
Coppin State will face the ninth seeded South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs on Friday March 11 in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament. Tipoff is at noon in Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA.
