Women’s Hoops Falters in Fourth Quarter in Loss to NC Central

BALTIMORE – Coppin State's women's basketball team shot just 24.6 percent from the floor in a 52-44 loss to North Carolina Central University on Saturday afternoon at PEC Arena.  CSU fell to 9-17 overall and 6-6 in the MEAC while NCCU improved to 13-14 on the year and 7-5 in league play.
 
Angel Jones led Coppin with 13 points along with six rebounds and three steals but was the only player on CSU to reach double figures.  Mossi Staples added nine points, six rebounds and four assists while Laila Lawrence finished with seven points, a game-high 11 rebounds, three blocks and four steals. Tiffany Hammond also hit a pair of threes for six points.
 
With her 11 rebounds, Lawrence now has 272 rebounds on the season which moves her into the top ten in CSU single-season history.
 
NC Central hit 34.6% from the floor and hit 8-of-13 (61.5%) in the fourth quarter to come away with
the victory.
 
How it Happened

• Midway through the first quarter, Hammond buried a three and Madyson Burney hit a pair of free throws to turn a one-point deficit into an 11-7 lead with 2:42 left.
• NC Central made one free throw to pull to within three after the first and Coppin was unable to put much distance between the teams in the second, holding on to a 20-18 halftime lead.
• Coppin extended its lead to as many as 30-21 with 6:16 left in the third, opening the second half on a 10-3 run.
• Staples had seven points during the stretch, but NC Central didn't go away, tying the score at 31 before Jones hit a three and added a pair of free throws to close the period.
• Jones hit a jumper to open the fourth quarter, but it was all Marron & Grey from there as NCCU scored 13-straight points, holding CSU scoreless for nearly five minutes.
• Lawrence stopped the drought with a pair of free throws before buckets from Tyler Gray and Jones tied it at 44 with just under three minutes left.
• NCCU prevailed by scoring the last eight points of the game.

Up Next: Coppin State hosts South Carolina State for Senior Night on Monday, March 4 at 5:30 pm.  CSU will recognize seniors Faith Blackstone, Colleen Bucknor and Charia Roberts prior to tipoff which airs on ESPN+.