BALTIMORE – Coppin State's
Koby Thomas (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored a career-high 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting and led five Eagles in double figures in an 82-75 win over Howard on Monday night at PEC Arena. Thomas' 24
th point came with 1:03 remaining in the game and was the team's 81
st point of the game.
Inside the Numbers
- Koby Thomas made 10-of-12 shots from the floor while making a pair of 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to lead Coppin State. Thomas also pulled down six rebounds and was credited with two assists, a block and a steal.
- Four other Eagles finished in double figures with Brendan Medley-Bacon notching a double-double 16 points and ten rebounds to go with three assists and two blocks.
- Ibn Williams buried four threes and finished with 14 points with three assists. Andrew Robinson added 12 points and Dejuan Clayton finished with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
- Coppin outshot Howard, 51.7% to 40.3% and outrebounded the Bison, 43-31.
- Four Bison finished in double figures with Wayne Bristol going for 28 points.
How it Happened
- A 24 second moment of silence preceded the opening tipoff, after which both teams stepped out of bounds eight seconds into their first possession in honor of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
- The teams traded a pair of baskets to start the game, but Coppin jumped out in front with a 13-0 run to take an 18-5 lead with 13:31 left in the first half. Andrew Robinson started the spurt by making three free throws and both Koby Thomas and Ibn Williams hit threes to wrap up the run.
- Eight-straight points by Howard got the Bison back into the game before Thomas hit another three, starting another mini-run which saw the Eagles lead by as many as 42-27 with 3:29 to go following a three-point play by Thomas.
- Howard scored the next five points before Dejuan Clayton closed out the stanza with a layup with 26 seconds to play, giving Coppin a 44-32 halftime lead.
- After making all seven of his shots in the first half to score 17 points, Thomas converted on a layup to start the second half.
- The Bison then took advantage of a CSU cold streak, going on a 21-7 run over the next 6:20 to pull within 54-53 after a three by Wayne Bristol at the 13:14 mark.
- Coppin scored the next ten points, starting with a three by Robinson and an alley-oop from Williams to Thomas, extending the lead back to 64-53 with 10:08 remaining.
- Howard continued to fight, getting once again within two points at 65-63 with 6:47 left but were unable to get over the hump with the Eagles scoring the next six points to seal the win.
- With 1:32 remaining, the Bison converted on a three-point play to make it a 79-75 ballgame before Thomas hit a layup inside off a feed from Clayton for his 24th point of the night, making it an 81-75 score with 1:03 to play.
Up Next: Coppin (6-16, 2-5 MEAC) goes on the road for a pair of MEAC games against Delaware State (February 1) and Howard on February 3. The tipoff against the Hornets is scheduled for 2 pm and a 7:30 pm against the Bison in Washington, D.C.
