BALTIMORE, Md. – Coppin took a 43-38 lead into the fourth quarter but could not hang on, as the Retrievers outscored the Eagles 19-9 over the final frame to win 57-52.
Chance Graham cobbled together her second double-double of the year, racking up 17 points and pulling down 13 boards.
The Basics
- Final Score: Coppin State 52, UMBC 57
- Records: Coppin State 0-3 (0-0 MEAC) / UMBC 5-0 (0-0 America East)
- Location: Baltimore, MD – Physical Education Complex Arena
- Series History: UMBC Leads 12-11
How It Happened
First Quarter
- Back-to-back layups by Chance Graham and a made free throw from Maraiyah Smith got the scoring going, giving CSU an early 5-0 lead.
- Paula Rubio brought the Retrievers back with two three-pointers, to take its first lead, 6-5.
- A Brooke Fields triple capped a 4-0 rally to wrestle the advantage back in favor of the Eagles, 10-6.
- An 8-0 surge from UMBC sent the road squad into the first quarter break up, 16-10.
- CSU was held scoreless over the final 6:27 of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
- E'Mya Price contributed a swish from behind the arc, Fields had a jumper, and Jalynda Salley sank a free throw to knot the score yet again, 16-16.
- Maryland-Baltimore County jumped ahead on an 8-2 onslaught (24-18), but a three-point bucket by Brooke Fields trimmed the deficit to 24-21 slightly past the midway point.
- Tsahai Corbie buried a wide-open three with 25 seconds left in the half, to send both squads to the locker room tied at 27.
Third Quarter
- Smith gave the Lady Eagles the upper-hand with the team's fifth three-point jay of the day, to take a 32-29 advantage.
- Oluwadamilola Oloyede would catch fire, scoring in every possible way (free throw, two-pointer, and three-pointer) to provide six straight CSU points, 38-34.
- Coppin's lead would swell to its highest margin (7) with a three by Graham in the corner, much to the delight of the many children in attendance, 43-36.
- The Retrievers would add two more as the Lady Eagles headed into the final frame up 43-38.
Fourth Quarter
- Graham converted a clutch and-one to build the CSU lead to 51-45 with 6:33 to go.
- Six consecutive Retriever points, punctuated by a Dominika Skrocka layup, caused a tie game with 4:22 remaining in regulation, 51-51.
- A 5:04 scoring draught for CSU, coupled with a 10-0 UMBC surge, gave the black and gold a 55-51 lead with 1:43 left.
- Maryland-Baltimore County outscored Coppin State down the stretch (2-1) to keep its unblemished record intact, 57-52.
Inside the Numbers
- In addition to her double-double, Chance Graham was second in steals (2) and tied for the most blocks (2) in the contest.
- Brooke Fields had her first career double-digit scoring output in a Division 1 contest, as she drained three triples, tallying 12 points, a team-leading four assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
- Maraiyah Smith served up three assists and three steals while snatching up five rebounds in the loss.
- Jalynda Salley had another solid effort, finishing second on the squad in rebounds (7), tied for the team lead in blocks (2), while sprinkling in two assists.
- UMBC utilized its deep bench, as 10 Retrievers saw game minutes, with nine of those contributing at least two points.
- The Retrievers kept the Eagles off balance, as the production came from all over the floor. UMBC had two scorers drop 10 or more, three defenders bring down at least six rebounds, and six different players notched an assist.
Who's Next?
- Coppin will face possibly its toughest obstacle yet, a visit to Starkville, Mississippi to face the defending runner-up Mississippi State Bulldogs.
