LAWERENCEVILLE, NJ. – Coppin State's men's basketball team fought hard Friday night but fell to Rider 81-69 inside Alumni Gym. The Eagles are now 0-3 on the season, while the Broncs improved to 1-1.
Tyree Corbett led all Eagles with 16 points, while
Nendah Tarke tallied 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Jesse Zarzuela and
Sita Conteh had 11 points each, and Zarzuela led all players in assists with five.
Coppin gained early momentum in a back and forth first half, opening the game with seven consecutive points.
Tyree Corbett scored a quick layup within the first ten seconds of play, followed by a three-point jumper by
Nathaniel Stokes, and a pull up jumper by
Jesse Zarzuela. The Eagles tenacious defense provoked 12 Rider turnovers in the first half, which the Eagles were able to convert into 13 points. Coppin goes on a 7-0 run towards the middle of the half, with a pair of threes by
Nendah Tarke and a steal by
Reggie James, converted into a layup from
Sita Conteh. Towards the end of the half, three-point shooting specialist
Kyle Cardaci hits a three, followed by an and one three by
Jesse Zarzuela, to end the half with a score of 29-32.
Tyree Corbett cut the deficit by four to start the second half with a three-pointer. He then scored a lay-up and free- throw to bring Coppin within one (36-35). After trailing by four,
Jesse Zarzuela scored a three with 16:58 left to play. A three-pointer from Allen Powell gave the Broncs a ten-point lead. Sita Corbett hit a three with 14:25 left to cut into the Broncs eight-point lead.
The Broncs led by 15 at the 12:33 mark but Coppin kept fighting going on a 10-0 scoring run including a steal and two free-throws by
Nendah Tarke, a jumper by
Jesse Zaruela, a three by
Reggie James, and a lay-up by Corbett.
Rider put the nail in the coffin closing out the game with a 12-point lead.
As a team Coppin out-shot Rider beyond the arch in the first half, shooting the three at 33.3% in correlation to the Broncs 28.6%. The Eagles bench also outscored Rider's bench in the first half, recording 24 bench points.
Coppin State is back in action tomorrow, November 13 traveling to Storrs Connecticut to face No. 24 UConn inside Gampel Pavilion. Game start is set for noon.
