DOVER, Del. – Cortney Gardner stole a long inbounds pass and took it in for a breakaway layup with 1.8 seconds left, giving the Coppin State women's basketball team a 34-32 victory at Delaware State on Monday night at Memorial Hall. The Eagles now stand at 8-20 overall and 5-8 in the MEAC while the Hornets fall to 6-18 with a 4-9 mark in league play.
Inside the Numbers
- Jewel Watkins led all players with 14 points, with three 3-pointers, along with seven rebounds.
- Gardner was second to Watkins with six points and added three rebounds and three steals.
- Colleen Bucknor grabbed a team-high ten rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots.
- Neither team shot well from the floor with DSU narrowly outshooting Coppin, 29.5% to 26.3%.
- Coppin forced the Hornets into 21 turnovers and turned that into 13 points. CSU also recorded 11 offensive rebounds which gave it 13 more shot attempts.
How it Happened
- Delaware State scored the game's first six points until Gardner put the Eagles on the board with 1:52 left in the opening quarter. The Hornets answered right back with a bucket and added another in the closing seconds to take a 10-2 lead.
- Khya Jenkins hit a jumper at the 9:45 mark of the second period, cutting the deficit to just six points, but DSU extended its lead to 17-4 with 5:15 left in the half.
- Mossi Staples, Alexandria Hamilton and Jalynda Salley put together three-straight field goals for the Eagles before the Hornets hit a late free throw to make it a 18-10 deficit at the half.
- Coppin turned it around in the third, outscoring DSU, 20-10 in the period, with 12 points coming from Watkins.
- CSU took its first lead of the game in the frame as Gardner hit a layup with 1:22 remaining, but the Hornets tied it back up with a free throw before Bucknor gave the Eagles back the advantage at 30-28 going into the final period.
- Both teams went scoreless for the first six minutes of the fourth before Watkins stopped the drought with a layup, giving Coppin a 32-28 lead.
- DSU hit a jumper on the ensuing possession before tying the score with 54 ticks remaining.
- After turnovers from both teams, Gardner hit the game-winning layup for Coppin's second-straight victory.
Up Next: Coppin heads to Morgan State for its regular season finale on Thursday, March 2 at 5:30 pm.
