COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Led by a game-high 28 points from
Sam Sessoms, Coppin State's men's basketball team shot 54.9% from the floor in a 95-79 loss at #23 Maryland on Friday afternoon at Xfinity Center. The Eagles now stand at 3-5 overall while the Terrapins improve to 6-0.
The matchup between the two programs just 32 miles apart was just the second-all-time meeting, and the first since December 12, 1989, a Coppin State victory. It also marked the return of Coppin head coach
Juan Dixon to College Park after leading the Terps to a 2002 national title.
Inside the Numbers
- Sessoms got to the basket at will en route to scoring 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting which matched a season-high. The six-foot guard from Philadelphia hit three 3-pointers while adding six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
- Justin Winston and Nendah Tarke added 14 points apiece with Winston grabbing a team-high seven boards.
- Malik Battle and Isaiah Gross chipped in with seven points apiece despite playing just 13 combined minutes.
- The Eagles shot 50.0% (12-of-24) in the first half and 59.3% (16-of-27) in the second half but were outrebounded, 40-26 with the Terrapins grabbing 18 offensive rebounds.
- The much longer Maryland squad tallied 26 second-chance points and had three players score at least 20 points. The hosts also made 25-of-32 from the line to just 14-of-23 for the Eagles.
- Julian Reese finished with 24 points to lead the Terps.
How it Happened
- Coppin went toe-to-toe with Maryland throughout the game, holding leads for much of the first half. Trailing, 19-13 after a three, the Eagles went on a 9-0 run with threes from Gross, Sessoms and Tarke to take a 22-19 lead at the 9:32 mark.
- After trading jumpers, Maryland went on a 12-2 run to go up seven before Sessoms buried a deep three to stop the run.
- Maryland got several easy putbacks from Reese inside as it built up a 44-34 advantage with just over a minute left in the period.
- Sessoms answered right back with a pair of free throws, but the Terrapins hit a three to go up 47-36 at the half.
- To open the second half, Sessoms scored four-straight points and fed Winston for an open three, cutting the deficit to 49-43 with 18:45 remaining.
- The Terrapins regrouped, extending their lead back to 55-43, but back came Sessoms with two more buckets and Alex Rojas hit a layup to narrow the gap back to 55-49 at the 15:21 mark.
- A corner three by Rojas minutes later kept the deficit within ten and Tarke threw down a slam off a nifty pass from Sessoms, but Maryland began to pull away with a pair of baskets for every field goal from the Eagles.
- The largest lead by Maryland came at 89-70 with 3:47 left before Battle hit a pair of threes in the closing minutes along with another Sessoms layup.
Up Next: Coppin finishes its local road swing with trips to UMBC (November 30) and Loyola Maryland (December 3). Both games will air on ESPN+
