BALTIMORE, Md. – Oluwadamilola Oloyede hit a pair of free throws with 10.9 seconds and the Eagles got a big stop on the defensive end as Coppin State's women's basketball team defeated crosstown rival Morgan State, 55-53 on Saturday afternoon at PEC Arena. The Eagles improve to 4-14 and 3-3 in the MEAC while the Bears fall to 10-9 with a 3-3 mark in conference play.
Trailing 53-51,
Maraiyah Smith hit a layup to tie the score with 42 seconds left n regulation. A foul by Morgan gave Coppin back the ball and Oloyede pulled down an offensive rebound and was fouled going back up and nailed both shots from the stripe.
The Bears went inside on their final offensive possession and came up short as
Chance Graham pulled down the rebound to seal the win.
Graham led the Eagles with a double-double 16 points and 11 rebounds, both of which were game-highs. Smith also reached double figures while
Genesis Lucas added 11 points, five assists and six steals before fouling out with 1:53 left.
Morgan was ahead by a single point after the first but extended its lead to 28-23 at the half. The Bears outscored Coppin by three in the third but the Eagles used a big final period to rally for the win.
Following a Morgan free throw with 7:19 left n the game which gave the Bears a 47-42 lead, the Navy & Gold used a 7-0 run to go back on top for the first time since early n the second. Smith drilled a three off a nice skip pass by Lucas, and following a Graham layup, Lucas led
Candice Beverly for another bucket with 4:09 left.
Four-straight Morgan points gave it back the advantage before a bucket by Graham tied it up with 1:19 remaining before
Braennan Farrar (13 points, 11 rebounds) put the Bears up 53-51 with 55 ticks to go.
Coppin outshot Morgan 36.7% to 29.2% but was outrebounded, 47-36. The Bears used 25 offensive rebounds which turned into 14 second-chance points.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, January 27 when it hosts South Carolina State at 2 pm.
