UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Aliyah Lawson led the Coppin State women's basketball team with 12 points as the Eagles dropped their season opener at Penn State, 84-45, on Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
A native of Whitby, Ontario, Canada, Lawson hit a pair of 3-pointers and was credited with three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Nailah Delinois added nine points, four rebounds, two steals and a block in her Coppin debut while
Tyree Allen and
Jalynda Salley chipped in with eight and seven points, respectively. Salley grabbed six rebounds to lead the Eagles on the glass.
The Nittany Lions had four players score in double figures with
Tova Sabel scoring a team-high 14 points off the bench.
Anna Camden and
Kelly Jekot also posted double-doubles.
Penn State scored on the game's opening possession, but CSU responded quickly with seven-straight points, starting with a pair of free throws from Delinois. After the teams traded misses, Lawson hit a floater in the lane to put the Eagles on top and drained a 3-pointer just over 20 seconds later, giving Coppin a 7-2 advantage with 7:58 left in the first quarter.
Following a substitution, the Nittany Lions went on a 10-0 run of their own before Lawson stopped the bleeding with a jumper just prior to the media timeout. Penn State closed out the frame on an 8-2 run to take a 20-11 lead as Lawson hit another mid-range jumper just before the end of the period.
The Nittany Lions extended their advantage to as many as 19 points in the second quarter but a three by
Jamila Mitchell cut the difference to 42-26 at the half.
PSU shot nearly 50% from the floor in the second half as Coppin made just 22.2% of its shots in the final 20 minutes which allowed the Lady Lions to stretch their lead and get the win.
Coppin made just 25.4% of its shots compared to 46.4% for Penn State. The much taller Lions held a 59-38 advantage on the glass, but CSU hustled and clawed its way to 16 offensive rebounds which resulted in 13 second-chance points. The Eagles also forced 18 turnovers which was more than any CSU non-conference opponent committed last season.
The Eagles will look to even their record when they make the short trip to Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday, December 2.
