Men’s Hoops Wins Second-Straight MEAC Contest, Defeat Delaware State on the Road

DOVER, Del. – Dejuan Clayton scored a game-high 23 points and made 11-of-14 from the line to give the Coppin State men's basketball team its second-straight win, a 64-60 MEAC victory at Delaware State Monday night at Memorial Hall.  The Eagles are now 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

The Basics

• Final Score: Coppin State 64, Delaware State 60
• Records: Coppin State 2-15 (2-0 MEAC) / Delaware State 3-12 (0-2 MEAC)
• Location: Dover, Del. (Memorial Hall)
• Series History: Coppin State Leads, 47-25

How It Happened
First Half 

• Delaware State jumped out to an early, 5-0 lead before Dejuan Clayton got the Eagles on the board at the 16:50 mark.
• The Hornets then went on a 7-0 run to extend their advantage to double digits before a free throw by Brendan Medley-Bacon hit a free throw and Ibn Williams buried a three from the wing with 11:41 to go.
• Both teams then traded baskets but Clayton then scored seven-straight points for the Eagles with some nifty drives to the hoop, cutting the deficit to 24-18 with just over two minutes remaining.
• Following a three by DSU's Kevin Larkin, Kent Auslander drilled a 25-footer as the shot clock was about to expire with four ticks remaining on the game clock, sending the Eagles down 27-21 at the break.
• Both teams brought the defensive intensity, as they held each other to a combined 30% field goal percentage. Coppin made just 3-of-10 from the line and both Larkin and Pinky Wiley hit a pair of three's for DSU.

 Second Half 

• Coppin was quick out of the break, going on a 9-2 run to start and took its first lead of the game on a pullup jumper by Kent Auslander with 15:12 left.
• Delaware State missed on its ensuing possession and Dejuan Clayton made it pay as he drove in for a score, giving the Eagles a 32-29 lead with 14:40 left and drawing a timeout.
• The Eagles forced a turnover out of the timeout as Cedric Council drove in for a breakaway layup.
• DSU did not go away and with six-straight points, it retook the lead at 35-34 with 11:22 to play.
• After trading baskets and the Hornets up, 37-36, CSU scored nine-straight to go up 45-37 on a layup by Justin Steers.
• The Eagles got up by as many as 54-42 when Clayton found Lamar Morgan curling off a pick and he buried a three with 3:20 remaining.
• DSU continued to fight defensively and started to foul out of desperation starting at the 1:09 mark.  Coppin State made 8-of-12 free throws down the stretch but with ten ticks left, the Hornets got within, 61-59.
• Clayton put CSU back up four with a pair of free throws as he was fouled on the inbounds pass.  DSU converted on just one free throw on the other end and Taqwain Drummond sealed the win with a free throw with four seconds remaining.

Inside the Numbers 

• Dejuan Clayton scored a game-high 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting and made 11-of-14 from the free throw line.  Once again, Clayton scored 14 of his 23 points in the second half and made 4-of-4 from the line in the final 1:09 once Delaware State started to foul out of desperation.
• Taqwain Drummond and Lamar Morgan added eight points apiece, while Chad Andrews-Fulton, Cedric Council and Kent Auslander finished with five points each.
• Andrews-Fulton led the Eagles with ten rebounds while Council pulled down eight and a team-high three steals.
• After shooting just 29.6% from the floor in the first half, Coppin shot an impressive 54.5% in the second to finish at a 40.8% clip for the game.  They held the Hornets to just 33.3% shooting.
• Despite making just three 3-pointers, the Eagles made 21 free throws and recorded 14 fastbreak points.
• Four DSU players finished in double figures, led by Kevin Larkin's 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Who's Next?

• Coppin State returns to the Charm City as it hosts Norfolk State on Saturday, January 12 at 4 pm.  Two days later, the Eagles will welcome South Carolina State for a 7:30 tipoff on Monday, January 14.