BALTIMORE – A last second three was off as a furious rally by the Coppin State's men's basketball team against Howard fell short in a 74-73 loss at PEC Arena Saturday night. CSU trailed 63-42 with 9:55 remaining, closed the game on a 31-11 run before missing a last-second three from midcourt.
The Basics
Final Score: Coppin State 73, Howard 74
Records: Coppin State (6-22, 6-7 MEAC), Howard (13-15, 7-6 MEAC)
Location: Baltimore, Md. (PEC Arena)
Series History: Coppin State Leads, 43-24
How it Started:
- Coppin got out to a hot start and took a 9-3 lead at the 16:40 mark on a three by Nigel Marshall, a jumper by Cedric Council and a pair of layups by Dejuan Clayton.
- Howard tied it up with six-straight points before Kent Auslander nailed a three which was followed by a jumper by Brendan Medley-Bacon to give the Eagles a 14-9 advantage.
- The Bison were able to regain a lead with 8:48 to go and built a lead as many as 37-31 with 31 seconds to go.
- Lamar Morgan came off a pick buried a triple with four ticks remaining as the bison took a 37-34 lead into the break.
- Howard scored eight-straight coming out of the intermission and after a layup by Chad Andrews-Fulton went on an 18-6 run over the next 7:20.
The Rally
- Starting with a free throw by Kent Auslander and two more by Dejuan Clayton, the Eagles went on a 12-2 run, ending with a layup by Ibn Williams at the 7:47 mark to make it a 65-54 game.
- Howard scored six of the next eight to build its lead back to build its lead back to 71-56 with 5:21 to play.
- Back-to-back three's by Auslander and Lamar Morgan got the lead back into single digits with 4:45 left.
- Clayton and Williams followed with two-straight layups to wrap up a 10-0 CSU run and pulling the hosts to within 71-66 with 3:27 remaining.
- Howard's RJ Cole stopped the run with a layup but CSU kept coming as Chad Andrews-Fulton made 1-of-2 free throws on back-to-back opportunities before Williams drained a three, making it a 73-71 game with 1:03 to go.
- Cole made it a three-point game with a free throw on the ensuing possession, but with 36 ticks remaining, Clayton drove to the hoop for a layup to make it a 74-73 game.
- Howard drained the clock on its next possession and Cole's three was off the mark. CSU grabbed the rebound and with 1.6 seconds left, Clayton drove to the goal but was called for an offensive foul and fouling out of the game.
- The Bison called timeout and its deep pass was stolen by Morgan who's desperation three from midcourt was just off the mark.
Inside the Numbers
- Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by Dejuan Clayton with 16 points and five assists while Ibn Williams scored a season-high with 12 points and three steals.
- Chad Andrews-Fulton was a rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds as Kent Auslander finished with ten.
- Nigel Marshall added eight points and three steals as Lamar Morgan made a pair of three's for six points.
- Cedric Council had a team-high 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.
- Howard's RJ Cole led all players with 19 points and seven assists while Charles Williams and Chad Lott added 15 and 13 points, respectively.
- Raymond Bethea added ten points and Andre Toure finished with nine.
- CSU narrowly outshot Howard, 48.1% to 45.3%. The Eagles committed 20 turnovers which led to 23 Bison points and shot just 12-of-20 from the free throw line.
Up Next
