Eagles Fought to the Finish but Fall Short at UNCG

GREENSBORO, N.C.- It was a strong defensive fight for the Coppin State University men's basketball team, but the Eagles (0-5) fall to UNCG (3-0) 55-48, Monday night inside the Greensboro Coliseum.
 
Jesse Zarzuela led all players in points and steals, with 21 points and eight.  He also led the Eagles in assists, with three.  Tyree Corbett was the second leading scorer for the Eagles with 12 points and eight rebounds. Nendah Tarke was another prominent force on both ends, as he finished the night with 10 points, three rebounds and three steals.  As a team, Coppin dominated the defensive end with 15 steals in correlation to a total of four steals as a team for UNCG.  
 
The defensive momentum from the Eagles started in the first half, as Nendah Tarke opened the game with a steal, which led to a dunk by Tyree Corbett.  Tarke had three steals in under five minutes.  Alex Rojas hit a big three to stop a nine-point Spartans run.  In the first half, the Eagles defense prevailed as they tallied eight first half steals and forced 10 turnovers from UNCG.  Zarzuela led the Eagles in first half points, rebounds and steals, as he scored 11 of the eagles 21 points, along with four steals and four rebounds.  
 
Coppin set the tone in the start of the second half with a 7-2 run, which started with two made free-throws by Corbett.  Zarzuela and Tarke fed off of each other in the heat of the second half; as Zarzuela recorded two back-to-back steals, which converted into four points by Tarke, followed by back-to-back buckets by Zarzuela.  A steal by Rojas led to a layup for Corbett, which placed the Eagles down by one with nine minutes left to go. 
 
Down by four with two minutes left, Zarzuela hit a clutch three off his own steal, which placed the Eagles down by one (46-47) with 1:47 left to go.  In the following possession, Zarzuela snatched another steal, which led to a dunk from Tarke, and placed the Eagles up by one over the Spartans (48-47) with 1:12 remaining.
 
UNCG refused to let up as Kaleb Hunter hit a three from the corner which then placed them up by two with 50 seconds left of play.  In the next Coppin possession, Mohammed Abdulsalam took a charge from Tarke, which secured possession for UNCG, allowing them to hit another three to secure the win.
 
Quotable – Head Coach Juan Dixon
"As long as we compete on the defensive end like we did tonight, Coppin State men's basketball will win a lot of games, said Dixon."

Coppin State will host Loyola Maryland for its home opener on Wednesday, November 17 inside the PEC Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.