ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Mossi Staples scored a game-high 19 points as Coppin State's women's basketball team fell at South Carolina State, 61-50 on Saturday afternoon at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. The Eagles now stand at 5-17 overall and 2-5 in the MEAC while the Bulldogs improve to 3-20 with a 2-6 mark in league play.
Inside the Numbers
- Staples hit four 3-pointers and all three of her free throws to finish with 19 points while adding two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Jewel Watkins also finished in double figures, tallying 13 points with a pair of threes while making 5-of-6 from the line. She grabbed four rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists.
- Hope Evans chipped in with nine points but the rest of the Eagles combined for just nine points. Alexandria Hamilton had a team-high six rebounds while Jalynda Salley and Khya Jenkins pulled down five rebounds apiece.
- With her five rebounds, Salley now has 723 in her career, tying her for seventh in school-history with Leisel Harry.
- The Bulldogs outshot Coppin, 41.3% to 27.6%, held a 43-32 advantage on the boards and hit 18-of-25 from the stripe compared to 10-of-11 for the Eagles.
- Nicole Gwynn led SC State with 16 points while Lovely Sonnier recorded eight points, 12 rebounds and four steals.
How it Happened
- The game started favorably for the Eagles as Staples hit back-to-back threes before the Bulldogs got on the board at the 5:25 mark.
- South Carolina State scored six-straight to tie the score before Evans hit a layup with 3:51 remaining to put CSU back on top, 8-6.
- Thee Bulldogs closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 15-10 lead and held on to a five-point lead going into the half.
- Salley tipped in a missed shot to open the third quarter, bringing the deficit to 26-23 before the hosts extended their lead back to 30-23 with 6:50 left.
- Lucia Reos answered with a three before Cortney Gardner drove in for a layup to make it a one-possession game with just under five minutes remaining.
- After another 8-0 run by the Bulldogs, Watkins scored seven-straight points to close the period, making a 38-35 score going into the final period.
- Staples hit a three to open the fourth, tying the score at 38-38, but South Carolina State scored nine-straight points and CSU was unable to pull within five points the rest of the game.
Up Next: Coppin head to Durham, N.C., to take on North Carolina Central on Monday, February 13 in a 5:30 pm tipoff.
