BALTIMORE – Aliyah Lawson scored a game-high 24 points, but Coppin State's women's basketball team was unable to hold off Morgan State as the Eagles fell to the Bears, 66-59 on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House.
The second leading scorer in the MEAC, Lawson buried three 3-pointers and hit 9-of-10 free throws to score at least 20 points for the third time in the last four games. Lawson also recorded three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
Jalynda Salley also finished in double figures, recording 12 points and leading the team with six rebounds.
Marley Grenway hit three 3-points for nine points,
Nailah Delinois added seven points and
Roni Richardson chipped in with five points.
Coppin narrowly outshot Morgan, but the Bears made five more field goals, hit 18-of-21 from the line and turned 15 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points. Morgan had four players reach double figures and got 32 points from its bench.
After playing to a 14-14 tie after the first quarter, Coppin led 27-25 at the half as Grenway hit a three with 38 seconds left in the second quarter.
CSU held a 43-42 lead after three quarters and led by as many as 56-49 with 5:13 left in the fourth as Lawson converted on an old-fashioned three-point play.
Morgan answered with a 11-0 run to take a 60-56 lead with just under two minutes to play and sealed the win by making all six of its free throws in the final 1:11.
The same two teams will meet at Hill Field House on Sunday, February 28 at 2 pm in the regular season finale for the Eagles.
