BALTIMORE – Despite putting four players in double figures, the Coppin State men's basketball team fell to crosstown rival Morgan State, 63-59 on Thursday night at PEC Arena. The Eagles finish the regular season and will enter the MEAC Tournament the seventh seed at 7-22 overall and 6-8 in league play.
Nendah Tarke led all players with 18 points to go with 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Justin Steers added a season-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting while making 5-of-8 from the free throw line along with six rebounds and a career-high four blocks.
Alex Rojas and
Mike Hood also chipped in with ten points apiece while
Greg Spurlock and
Sita Conteh added three points each.
Morgan State outshot Coppin, 36.4% to 33.9% with four more made shots from the floor. The Eagles stayed in in with six 3-pointers while hitting 13-of-22 from the free throw line.
The game featured five ties and 12 lead changes with the Bears opening a 24-17 lead with 1:14 left in the first half. Steers converted on a three-point by at the other end of the floor and hit another layup just before the clock ran out, cutting the halftime deficit to just 24-22.
Coppin opened the second half strong and held its largest lead at 37-30 after a 3-pointer by Hood followed by a layup from Tarke. The Bears came right back with 11-4 run, retaking the lead on a three-point by at the 10:22 mark.
Tarke fed Steers inside for a dunk on the ensuing possession to help the Eagles once again retake the lead but a 10-0 run by Morgan minutes later gave the visitors the 58-48 advantage with 4:05 remaining.
Tarke then scored nine of the next 11 points himself, giving CSU a 59-58 lead with just under a minute remaining but Morgan closed the game with five-straight points to win.
