WINSTON SALEM, N.C. – Derrius Ward scored a game-high 19 points in his Coppin State debut and the Eagles outscored Wake Forest in the second half, but it was not enough as Coppin dropped its season opener, 64-49 to the Demon Deacons on Monday night at LJVM Coliseum.
Inside the Numbers
- Ward hit 5-of-13 from the field with three 3-pointers and made all six of his free throws to record 19 points. He also grabbed five rebounds and recorded three steals.
- Ryan Archey was next on the Coppin's scoring list with eight points, followed by Peter Oduro with six, Julius Ellerbe III and Khali Horton with five apiece, Cam'Ron Brown with four and Toby Nnadozie with two.
- Ellerbe pulled down a team-high eight rebounds while Oduro was credited with seven.
- Brown and Nnadozie both dished out three assists to lead the Eagles.
- Coppin shot just 28.3% from the floor but held Wake Forest to 39.3% shooting, and just 32% in the second half.
- The Eagles outrebounded the Demon Deacons, 44-38 and held a 10-5 advantage in second chance points.
- Three Wake Forest players scored in double figures, led by Cameron Hildreth with 15 points.
How it Happened
- Wake Forest got out to a quick 5-0 lead before Ward buried a three from the corner and added a dunk less than two minutes later to keep Coppin within 10-5.
- The Demon Deacons extended their lead with ten-straight points before Ward and Oduro tipped in misses to get CSU back within single digits with 8:49 left in the half.
- A slow run by Wake allowed the hosts to keep adding to the lead and a three-pointer just before the buzzer gave it a 42-22 lead at the half.
- Horton scored five quick points to start the second half but the Eagles weren't able to cut into the lead as Wake led by as many as 58-34 with 8:45 to play.
- Ellerbe answered with an old-fashioned three-point play and added another layup following a pair of free throws by Ward to cut the deficit to 58-41 with just under seven minutes left.
- Wake responded with a three at the 6:46 mark but Coppin continued to punch away at the deficit, getting to within 15 at the final buzzer.
Up Next: Coppin will have a quick turnaround as it travels to High Point for a 7 pm tipoff on Wednesday, November 6. Fans can watch live on ESPN+.
