BALTIMORE – The Coppin State women's basketball welcomes South Carolina State to PEC Arena for Homecoming on Saturday, February 12, starting at 2 pm. Two nights later, the Eagles host N.C. Central in a 4 pm tipoff on Monday, February 14. Both games will be televised on NXT LVL and can be heard on WNST 1570AM.
Event Information
Teams: Coppin State Eagles (11-9, 5-2 MEAC) vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs (3-18, 3-4 MEAC)
Date & Time: Saturday, February 12 | 2:00 pm
Location: Baltimore, Md. (PEC Arena)
Series History: Coppin State Leads, 45-29; Coppin won the last meeting, 84-55 on February 5, 2022, in Orangeburg.
Teams: Coppin State Eagles (11-9, 5-2 MEAC) vs. North Carolina Central Eagles (3-14, 1-6 MEAC)
Date & Time: Monday, February 14 | 4:00 pm
Location: Baltimore, Md. (PEC Arena)
Series History: CSU leads, 8-7; Coppin defeated N.C. Central, 66-43, in the last meeting on January 19 in Durham.
Coppin Contributors
Jaia Alexander leads the conference with 16.8 points per game and is top ranked in rebounding averaging 7.8 RPG. Alexander is second in the MEAC in free-throw percentage at 79.8 percent while making a league-high 72 shots from the stripe. Aliyah Lawson is putting up 12.4 points to rank sixth in the MEAC while leading the conference in three-point field goals with 2.6 3-pointers per game. Lawson is tied for third 3-point field goal percentage (34 percent) and in assists with (3.1). Mossi Staples is averaging 10.3 points per game and is ranked second in the MEAC in assists, averaging 3.3 APG, and second in steals (2.6). Jalynda Salley leads the MEAC in field-goal percentage, shooting the ball with a 50.4 efficiency. She also ranks tenth in the conference in rebounds (5.9 RPG), and second in offensive rebounding, averaging 2.8. Salley is ninth in blocks (0.8), while averaging 7.8 points per game. Colleen Bucknor ties for fifth in the conference in blocks, totaling 17, and moves up to sixth in rebounds (6.2 RPG).
Climbing the Charts
Aliyah Lawson stands at second all-time at CSU with 136 career threes. Lawson recently bumped Genesis Lucas down to third place overall with 128 threes made. Lawson stands at fifth all time in CSU history in most 3-pointers in a single-season with 52. She is six threes away from tying Rashida Suber at fourth. Jaia Alexander's 35-point career high game at Delaware State ties for fourth in CSU history for most points scored in single game. Jalynda Salley has 96 career blocks to place her fifth all-time. Salley will match Chance Graham at fourth with her next block, and two more will tie Yvette Larkins for third.
Last Time Out
Coppin beat South Carolina State in a 29-point blowout on Saturday, February 5. Staples led four Eagles in double digits with a career-high 24 points. Lawson scored a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds. Alexandria Hamilton also had 12 points for a season high, while Alexander was the Eagles second leading scorer with 14 and grabbed seven boards. Jewel Watkins contributed nine points, four rebounds. Coppin was excited to have Jalynda Salley back in action who tallied eight points on 4-of-9 from the field. The Eagles contained Bulldogs leading scorer Nicole Gwynn (12 PPG) to four points. After a double-digit lead in the first quarter, Coppin extended the margin to a 38 lead by the second half and prevented any fighting chance for the Bulldogs to make a comeback.
Scouting the Bulldogs
South Carolina State falls to fifth place in the MEAC standings, with a record of 3-4 in conference (3-18 overall). As a team, they are ranked seventh in the league both offensively and defensively, averaging 48.1 points per game, while their opponents average 71.1 points per game. Nicole Gwynn is the Bulldogs leading scorer, averaging 12 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Trinity Klock is putting up 9.8 points and leads the team with 7.2 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs are guided by Audra Smith, who coached Coppin's Jaia Alexander at Clemson.
About N.C. Central
N.C. Central averages 60.2 points per game while allowing 68.8 points, both of which are sixth in the MEAC. Diamond Thomas and Necole Hope lead the way offensively, averaging 13.3 points and 12.4 points, respectively. Tianna Carter, Ashlyn Lockard and Kira Lowery are also major threats on the offensive end while Paris McBride is one of the top distributors in the MEAC.
Up Next: Coppin hosts Norfolk State on Saturday, February 19 for a 2 pm tipoff before they travel to Washington, D.C. to face Howard on Monday, February 21 for a 4 pm tipoff.
