Men’s Hoops Drops Last Second Heartbreaker to South Carolina State

BALTIMORE – Damani Applewhite scored on a tip-in with 0.4 seconds left to give South Carolina State a 70-68 victory over Coppin State Monday night at the PEC Arena.

The Basics

• Final Score: Coppin State 68, South Carolina State 70
• Records: Coppin State 2-17 (2-2 MEAC) / South Carolina State 4-15 (2-1 MEAC)
• Location: Baltimore, Md. (PEC Arena)
• Series History: Coppin State Leads, 34,31

How It Happened
First Half 

• Coppin State grabbed control of the game early on but never led by more than six points at any point during the period.
• With the Eagles leading, 12-6 with 13:00 minutes remaining on a three by Cedric Council, South Carolina State scored nine-straight to take a three point lead with 8:54 to go.
• A three by Taqwain Drummond tied the score at 18 but another 7-0 run by the Bulldogs gave the visitors their largest lead of the half at 25-18 with 2:15 remaining.
• A pair of three-point plays by Dejuan Clayton and Lucian Brownlee narrowed the gap and Chad Andrews-Futon made a layup just before the buzzer with SC State taking a 29-27 lead into the half.

 Second Half 

• A dunk and a jumper by Andrews-Fulton started the half and gave CSU back the lead but the Bulldogs regrouped and a 13-4 run over the next 4:26 gave them a 42-35 lead at the 14:34 mark.
• Back-to-back three-point plays by Clayton got CSU back into the game and a three by Brownlee with 12:05 left tied the score at 46.
• Clayton then drove to the bucket and buried two free throws before another three by Brownlee gave CSU a 51-48 lead.
• Another layup by Clayton gave CSU its largest lead at 59-52 with 7:05 remaining and forced a timeout.
• South Carolina State was challenged by the staff at the break and they responded with six-straight points before Cedric Council stopped the bleeding with a bucket at the 4:46 mark.
• The Bulldogs then made back-to-back 3-pointers to regain the lead at 64-61 with 3:57 left.
• Clayton then rove in again for another layup and the teams would be tied up at 66 and 68 on a three-point play by Andrews-Fulton and a jumper by Drummond with 2:01 left.
• Misses on both sides kept the score tied but South Carolina State grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed shot with just under 30 seconds left and held for the final shot.
• Jenai Raynor Powell drove to the hoop and his miss was tipped in by Damani Applewhite with 0.4 seconds left.

Inside the Numbers 

• Chad Andrews-Fulton and Lucian Brownlee led the Eagles offensively with 19 and 15 points, respectively, both of which were season-highs. 
• Andrews-Fulton made 7-of-8 from the field with a three, along with 4-of-5 from the line.  He also grabbed seven rebounds along with a block and two steals.
• Brownlee sunk three 3-pointers and made all four of his free throws.
• Dejuan Clayton also finished with 18 points and dished out eight assists, matching a career-high.
• Cedric Council finished a point shy of a double-double (11 rebounds) and Taqwain Drummond added seven points and six rebounds.
• Brendan Medley-Bacon blocked four shots to match a season-high.
• Damani Applewhite led four Bulldogs in double figures with 18 points, including the game-winning tip-in. He also grabbed seven rebounds while Lavar Harewood notched a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.
• CSU outshot South Carolina State, 40.4% to 35.9%.  Rebounds were dead-even at 37 but the Bulldogs made two more field goals than the home team to overcome a 19-17 free throw advantage for the Eagles.

Who's Next?

• Coppin State makes its North Carolina MEAC swing with trips to North Carolina Central (January 19) and North Carolina A&T (January 21).