WASHINGTON, D.C. – Coppin State's women's basketball team hit a school-record 14 3-pointers in a 76-73 loss at Howard University on Monday night at Burr Gymnasium. The Eagles fell to 9-16 overall and 6-5 in the MEAC while the Bison moved to 11-14 and 8-3 in league play.
Faith Blackstone led Coppin with 16 points with a pair of 3-pointers while
Mossi Staples and
Tiffany Hammond buried four threes each for 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Niyah Gaston added two more triples for six points and both
Angel Jones and
Tyler Gray hit one from behind-the-arc and combined for ten points.
CSU's 14 threes broke the 12 that it hit last season in 64-63 victory over Delaware State on February 6, 2023.
Posting her league-leading 13
th double-double and seventh straight was
Laila Lawrence, who finished with 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
The Eagles outshot Howard, 45.7% to 41.4% and shot a whopping 14-of-25 (56.0%) from 3-point range. However, Coppin made just 17-of-32 (53.1%) from the free throw line while Howard hit seven threes and made 21-of-31 free throws. CSU's 15 assists on 21 made buckets also matched a season high.
How it Happened
- Lawrence scored the first five points of the game, starting with a three-point play before getting a feed from Hammond for a bucket inside.
- Howard got on the board following a CSU turnover, but the Eagles kept their foot on the gas and ended the quarter on a 11-3 run to lead 21-11.
- Blackstone and Jones both hit early threes during the stretch before Gray added another in the closing seconds.
- The Bison scored 30 points in the second quarter to Coppin's 19 to take a 41-40 halftime lead. Howard benefitted by making 12-of-15 free throws with four threes in the period despite CSU making six more triples.
- Both teams played virtually even in the second half with HU outscoring CSU by a narrow 35-33 margin.
- Howard led by as many as 55-47 in the third quarter before Lawrence answered with a basket at the other end, followed by another three by Staples.
- Gaston hit a three following a steal and assist by Staples to get Coppin to within 57-56 but Howard scored on a jumper just before time expired in the third.
- Coppin went on a 7-0 run midway through the fourth as Hammond and Gaston hit threes followed by a free throw by Blackstone, giving the Eagles a 67-66 lead with 3:53 remaining.
- Howard tied it up before Staples hit two free throws, giving the Eagles back the advantage with 3:25 to play.
- After five lead changes and two ties in the final minutes, Howard hit a mid-range jumper with 18 seconds left to go up 76-73 with 18 seconds left.
- CSU called a pair of timeouts and turned it over after a missed three-point attempt.The Eagles were forced to foul and had an opportunity to tie the score with a desperation three after Howard missed two free throws, but the attempt rimmed out.
Up Next: Coppin hosts NC Central at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 2, and South Carolina State for Senior Night on Monday, March 4 at 5:30 pm Both games will air on ESPN+.
