KINGSTON, R.I. – Jaia Alexander from Coppin State women's basketball team recorded a double-double Sunday afternoon against the Rams of Rhode Island inside the Ryan Center.
Rhode Island (3-0) defeated Coppin State (2-1) 74-45.
Jaia Alexander led all Eagle players recording 23 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. She also shot 10-of-13 from the free-throw line. Freshman
Jewel Watkins was the second leading scorer for the Eagles, scoring a career-high seven points and four rebounds.
Jalynda Salley contributed with six points in the third quarter, along with two blocks.
Mossi Staples led the team in assists, with two, while
Colleen Bucknor was the second leader in rebounds with eight and recorded two blocks.
Coppin threw the first punch with a layup by
Alexandria Hamilton but then the Rams went on an 8-2 run before Alexander scored six straight points to help cut into the lead.
Hope Evans contributed a layup to close the quarter, placing the Eagles down by two. Alexander took over in the second quarter, scoring all 12 of the Eagles points. Alexander had 15 points and six rebounds.
Salley sparked the momentum early in the third quarter, with a put-back layup to help her score six points of the quarter. The Rams responded with two back-to-back threes by Marta Vargas and Marie-Paule Foppossi. Rhode Island's three-point shooting momentum was deflated by an and one layup by Alexander. The three-point momentum from the Rams was continued through the rest of the quarter, as they shot 5-7 from beyond the arc. The scoring cushion from the Rams in the third quarter was maintained in the fourth, as they closed the game with a final score of 74-45.
Quotable – Head Coach Laura Harper
"We played a very talented team in Rhode Island", said Harper. "There are many positive takeaways that we can take and build on moving into our next few games."
Coppin State is back in action on Wednesday, November 17 playing Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. inside Cassell Coliseum.
