BALTIMORE – Coppin State's women's basketball team dropped its MEAC opener to South Carolina State, 71-60 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at PEC Arena.
The Basics
Final Score: Coppin State 60, South Carolina State 71
Records: Coppin State (0-13, 0-1 MEAC), South Carolina State (2-11, 1-0 MEAC)
Location: Baltimore, Md. (PEC Arena)
Inside the Numbers
- Chance Graham and Jalynda Salley tied for a team-high 14 points while both Aliyah Lawson and Alexandria Hamilton recorded 13 points apiece.
- Graham also grabbed a game-high ten rebounds for a double-double and is now just three rebounds shy of 1,000 for her career. Graham was also credited with a block and three steals.
- Salley and Lawson each had six rebounds while Salley also blocked three shots and recorded a steal.
- Lawson also dished out four assists while Hamilton and E'Mya Price added three dimes apiece.
- Coppin narrowly outshot South Carolina State, 41.0% to 37.7% but the Bulldogs made 25-of-31 free throws compared to just 7-of-14 for the Eagles. CSU committed 30 turnovers which turned into 39 points for South Carolina State who got 21 points from Jacquece Alston and 19 from Heniaya Moton.
How it Happened
- The first quarter was very sloppy with 14 combined turnovers (7 from each team) as South Carolina State outscored Coppin, 17-13. Alexandria Hamilton made all three of her field goals for six points in the quarter.
- The Bulldogs got the first bucket of the second period to extend their lead to 19-13 but Chance Graham scored five-straight points, including a three, to pull Coppin within a single point.
- A pair of free throws and a three by the Bulldogs got the lead back to six points but the trio of Graham, Aliyah Lawson and Jalynda Salley led CSU on an 8-2 run before the visitors hit a layup at the buzzer to give them a 28-26 halftime lead.
- Coming out of the break, South Carolina State buried a three and extended its advantage to as many as 39-33 with 4:36 remaining but buckets by Graham, E'Mya Price and Salley tied the game at 39 but the Bulldogs closed the frame with a pair of free throws, taking a 41-39 lead into the fourth.
- Trailing, 45-41 at the 6:11 mark, Salley hit a layup to cut the deficit in half and Price canned a three to give CSU a 46-45 lead with just under five minutes to play.
- Alexandria Hamilton then hit a pair of free throws and Salley converted on a layup, giving the Eagles their largest lead at 50-45 with 3:26 to play.
- Six-straight points from South Carolina State gave the Bulldogs back the lead until Salley put CSU back on top with a layup at the 2-minute mark.
- A miss by the Bulldogs turned into a three by Lawson with 1:22 left but South Carolina scored six-straight, regaining the advantage with ten seconds to go.
- A jumper by Lawson in the paint tied the score at 57 with four ticks remaining and a desperation attempt by the visitors fell short.
- SC State scored the first four points of the extra session, but Hamilton made 1-of-2 free throws and Lawson drove in for a layup to cut the deficit to 61-60 with 3:01 remaining.
- It was all Bulldogs from there as the visitors scored the final ten points of the game as CSU turned the ball over three times in the closing minutes.
Up Next: Coppin hosts MEAC rival Norfolk State at 5:30 pm on Monday, January 6 at the PEC.
