Staples Comes Up Big Down the Stretch; Lifts Women's Hoops to Win in MEAC Opener

BALTIMORE - Mossi Staples led all scorers with 26 points and hit the game-winning three to lift the Coppin State women's basketball team to a 72-67 victory over North Carolina Central in its MEAC opener on Monday night at PEC Arena. CSU now stands at 4-12 overall while NCCU falls to 6-11 and 0-2 in league play.

Inside the Numbers
- Staples hit 7-of-17 from the floor with three 3-pointers while making 9-of-12 from the line. She added six rebounds, five assists and four steals and 12 of her points came in the fourth quarter.
- Jalynda Salley also finished in double figures, tallying 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
- Also in double digits was Jewel Watkins with 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
- Lucia Reos chipped in with seven points, three rebounds, two assists and a career-high four steals.  Alexandria Hamilton added six points, Hope Evans with five points and four assists and Khya Jenkins with two. 
- Coppin was outshot, 43.4% to 33.8% but forced 20 NCCU turnovers and turned that into 18 points.  CSU hit eight 3-pointers and 20-29 from the line while outrebounding Central, 45-34.  The Navy & Gold finished with 18 second-chance points.
- In the fourth quarter, Coppin shot an impressive 57.1% with three 3-pointers and 7-of-11 from the stripe.
- Kimeira Burks led NCCU with 19 points and six rebounds.

How it Happened
- The first quarter stayed tight throughout with neither team extending its lead past four points until Watkins buried a three with 2:19 left, giving CSU a 16-11 lead.
- Both teams played even in the second with Coppin leading by as many as 24-16 following a layup from Salley with just under five minutes left.
- NC Central was able to cut the deficit in half before Staples hit 1-of-2 free throws with just over a minute remaining in the half.
- A 7-0 run by Central midway through the third tied the score at 37-37 and the visitors took a 48-46 lead going into the fourth on a last-second three by Burks.
- Following a bucket by Salley to open the fourth, NCCU scored five-straight to take its largest lead of the game at 53-48 with 9:03 left.
- Reos and Watkins hit back-to-back threes, sandwiching a field goal by Central to pull within 55-54 before Staples scored the game's next six points to put CSU back on top with just under five minutes to go.
- After a couple lead changes, Staples hit a three with 43 seconds to go, giving Coppin a 69-67 advantage.
- After forcing a miss, Reos hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it a three-point lead and Staples sealed it with two more free throws with five seconds remaining. 

Up Next: Coppin returns to action on Saturday, January 14 when it hosts Morgan State in a 2 pm doubleheader at PEC Arena.