BALTIMORE – Six players scored in double figures as Coppin State's women's basketball team won its fifth-straight game with an 84-61 victory over North Carolina Central on Monday afternoon in PEC Arena. The Eagles are now 7-2 in MEAC play, while NC Central drops to 1-8 in league play. Coppin's winning streak is their longest since the 2015-16 season.
Mossi Staples led all players with 23 points, sinking 3-of-5 from behind the arch, while going 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Colleen Bucknor scored a career-high 12 points to go with five rebounds.
Jaia Alexander,
Alexandria Hamilton,
Aliyah Lawson and
Jewel Watkins all pitched in with ten points apiece. Alexander led the Navy & Gold with eight rebounds while
Hope Evans had yet another strong performance with nine points to go with three assists.
Both teams made an identical 23 field goals, but Coppin made nine 3-pointers and a whopping 29-of-34 shots from the free throw line. CSU's 29 free throws were its most since it made 33 against Delaware State on December 7, 2013.
Coppin outshot NC Central, 42.6% to 35.4% and forced 21 turnovers which turned into 26 points.
After a slow start of the first quarter, Coppin switched gears and built a lead with an 8-0 run consisting of a pair of threes from Staples and Hamilton, followed by a pair of free throws from Staples. Evans extended the lead in double figures in the second quarter with an and-one and scored seven-straight points herself. Lawson hit a step-back three at the buzzer to close the half with a score of 48-23.
Coppin made more free throws in the third quarter (13) than NC Central had for the entire game (11). Staples started the half with a crafty and-one bucket and hit the free-throw for a three-point play. Hamilton hit her second three of the game to bring CSU to its largest lead of the game at 71-40, then finished the quarter with two free-throws.
Alexander went on a 5-0 run alone to keep the wheels spinning in the fourth quarter and Watkins finished NC Central off with another five-straight of her own to close out the game.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, February 19 when they host Norfolk State in a battle among the top teams in the MEAC. Coppin's matchup against the Spartans is also its 'Pink Game.'
