GREENSBORO, N.C. – Despite a career-high 35 points and eight 3-pointers by
Lamar Morgan, the Coppin State men's basketball team dropped a MEAC contest at North Carolina A&T, 80-71 on Monday night at Corbett Sports Center. Morgan's 35 points were the most by an Eagles player in nearly 20 years.
The Basics
- Final Score: Coppin State 71, North Carolina A&T 80
- Records: Coppin State 3-18 (3-3 MEAC) / North Carolina A&T 10-9 (5-0 MEAC)
- Location: Greensboro, N.C. (Corbett Sports Center)
- Series History: Coppin State Leads, 40-23
How It Happened
First Half
- Lamar Morgan got off to a hot start early on, hitting a pair of three's to start the game and giving the Eagles a 6-3 advantage.
- Following a free throw by Brendan Medley-Bacon and two more by Morgan, the score was tied at nine with 12:27 left but North Carolina A&T scored nine-straight to double up Coppin, 18-9 with 8:41 to go.
- The Eagles went on a 17-6 run over the next 5:21, capped off by a three-point play by Dejuan Clayton to take a 26-24 lead at the 3:20 mark. Morgan recorded seven of the Eagles' points during the stretch.
- A&T tied the score at both 26 and 29 but Morgan answered both occasions, giving Coppin a 32-29 lead with 1:57 to go but the Aggies went on a 5-0 run to close the period and take a 34-32 halftime lead.
Second Half
- Three-pointers by Morgan, Clayton and Cedric Council kept the Eagles in the game but after Clayton's three cut the deficit to 43-41 with 15:21 left, A&T built up 59-46 lead with 8:10 to play.
- Coppin's trio of Morgan, Clayton and Council were able to help close the gap to as little as 64-58 at the 4:32 mark but the Aggies got the lead back to ten and sealing the victory.
Inside the Numbers
- Lamar Morgan scored a career-high 35 points while matching a career-high with eight 3-pointers on 14 attempts. The senior from Willingboro, N.J., sunk 11-of-18 overall from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free throw line.
- Morgan's 35 points were the most by an Eagles player since February 1, 1999 when Fred Warrick scored 40 in a win at Howard.
- This was Morgan's third career game with at least 30 points. He went for 30 points twice last season at Connecticut (12/9/17) and against Hampton (2/12/18).
- Dejuan Clayton finished with 19 points, four rebounds and five assists while Cedric Council added nine points and eight rebounds. Kent Auslander and Brendan Medley-Bacon chipped in with five and three points, respectively.
- North Carolina A&T outshot Coppin, 54.5% to 45.6%.
- The Aggies got 23 points from Ronald Jackson and 18 from Milik Gantz. The duo combined to shoot 16-of-21 with Jackson making 9-of-10 and 2-of-3 from deep.
Who's Next?
- Coppin State returns home for three-straight games, starting with Florida A&M on Saturday, January 26 at 4 pm. Two days later, the Eagles host Bethune Cookman in a 7:30 pm tipoff.
