BALTIMORE, Md. – Junior
Chas Brown notched is fourth double-double of the season scoring ten points while grabbing 13 rebounds in an 89-82 loss to Hampton University in the regular season finale on Thursday, March 2nd in the Physical Education Complex.
Coppin State heads into the MEAC Basketball Tournament with an overall record of 8-23 with a 7-9 MEAC record. Hampton improves to 14-15 overall with an 11-5 MEAC record. The Pirates trailed by six at the half but came back to outscore the Eagles 50-37 in the second half.
The Eagles made a season-best 26 free-throws on a season-high 37 attempts. Their 82 points scored was also the fourth highest mark of the season. Junior
Chas Brown recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and went 8-for-16 at the charity stripe scoring ten points. Freshman
Dejuan Clayton scored a team-high 21 points on 3-of-5 made three-pointers and 6-of-8 converted free-throws. Junior
Tre' Thomas tied a season-high with seven made field goals scoring 18 points and senior
Keith Shivers had 14 points. Senior
Terry Harris Jr. had three huge blocks in the first half and finished with nine points and six rebounds. Senior
Joseph Gripper was perfect from the line making all four of his free-throws.
Thomas paced the Coppin State offense with 13 first half points. The Eagles made 50-percent (15-30) of their shots from the field and shot 71-percent (10-14) from the free-throw line. Coppin State led the entire half and had an 11 point advantage (37-26) at the 5:17 mark. Shivers and Harris both chipped in with nine first half points as Coppin carried a 45-39 lead into halftime.
The Eagles offense declined in the final half from 50-percent to 38-percent (8-21) from the field. Clayton remained aggressive and scored 14 points but the Pirates stayed within distance and tied the game at 68-68 with 7:55 left to play.
Hampton took a 70-69 lead until Coppin State answered with a three-pointer by sophomore
Lucian Brownlee to reclaim the lead (72-70) with 6-minutes left in regulation. The Pirates went back up (75-72) at the final media timeout. HU made three free-throws after drawing the foul behind the arc stretching their advantage (78-73) with 3:30 remaining.
Clayton's three-pointer with 2:17 left cut the Pirates lead (79-77). HU answered with a dunk extending their lead to 81-77. Missed free-throws in the final 90-seconds by Coppin State kept the Pirates on top. In the end Hampton came back from a double-digit deficit and swept the season series against Coppin State, 89-82.
Hampton was led by Kalin Fisher's 21 points and Lawrence Cook's 15 points.
The Eagles conclude the regular season and will begin MEAC Tournament play next week in Norfolk, VA.
