NORFOLK, Va. – Despite a game-high 20 points from
Mossi Staples, Coppin State's women's basketball team's season came to an end with a 57-50 loss to North Carolina Central in the MEAC Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Scope Arena. CSU finishes with an 8-22 mark.
Inside the Numbers
- Staples finished 7-of-18 shooting with four 3-pointers and added six rebounds and a pair of steals in her final collegiate game. She finished with 905 career points, coming into today with 885 points.
- Hope Evans was also in double figures with ten points while Colleen Bucknor tallied seven points and a team-high ten rebounds.
- Jewel Watkins struggled from the floor, hitting just 2-of-19 from the floor to tally nine points. She impacted the game in other ways, recording six rebounds, a team-high three assists and two blocks.
- Cortney Gardner was the only other CSU player to score, pitching in with four points.
- Jalynda Salley became Coppin's all-time leading in games played and moved into fifth place on the school's all-time rebounding list after recording a pair of boards.
- After outshooting NC Central in the first half, Coppin made just 6-of-25 shots in the second half compared to 13-of-26 for NC Central.
How it Happened
- Coppin led, 12-9 after the opening quarter as Stapled led the way with five points, including a three from the corner with 34 seconds to go, giving CSU a 10-7 advantage.
- Staples converted for Coppin's first five points of the second and buried a three from the right wing to put CSU on top, 20-15.
- After a layup from Evans, NC Central pulled back to within, 22-21 before CSU closed the half on a 7-2 run with runners from Gardner and a three from Evans.
- NC Central opened the second half with four-straight points to pull within a bucket before Evans hit a three.
- Watkins came alive with four-straight free throws, including hitting all three after being fouled on an attempted 3-pointer following the media timeout.
- NCCU scored the next seven points to take its first lead since the opening minutes of the game, but Staples put CSU back on top with another three with 1:40 to play.
- NCCU closed the third with four-straight points to lead 42-39 and the first eight points of the fourth to take its largest lead at 50-39 with 7:30 in regulation.
- Coppin came right back with a 7-0 run, and following a Central free throw, Bucknor putback a miss, cutting the deficit to 51-48 at the 2:37 mark.
- Central was able to seal the win with the next four points as Staples fouled out in the final minute of the game.
