LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Four Eagles scored in double figures as Coppin State's men's basketball team erased a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat Rider, 68-65 on Tuesday night at Alumni Gym. With the win, Coppin improved to 2-7 on the season while the Broncs fell to 1-5.
Khali Horton led the Eagles with 15 points while hitting three 3-pointers and all four of his free throws. The junior forward from Erie, Pa., buried a pair of shots from the stripe with seven seconds remaining to give the Eagles a 3-point lead before grabbing the rebound on the Broncs' game-tying attempt.
DeMariontay Hall was a beast inside, tallying a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Seven of his rebounds were on the offensive end as the Eagles outscored Rider, 38-20, in the paint and added 15 second-chance points.
Also in double figures for Coppin was
Hassan Perkins with ten points to go with six rebounds, six assists and two steals while freshman
Nelson Lamizana, who played in just his second collegiate game, scored ten points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with three rebounds and two steals.
Jamari Piercy also contributed on both ends of the floor, recording nine points, four rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocks.
Camaren Sparrow added six points and four assists while
Chris Morgan pitched in with five points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Coppin shot 51.6% from the floor in the second half and made 42.2% for the game while holding the Broncs to 30% shooting. CSU made just 9-of-18 free throws and Rider, who was at the line for two shots for the final 12-plus minutes, made 24-of-32 at the stripe.
The Eagles quickly chipped away at Rider's halftime lead and made it a one-possession game with seven points over a 44 second span. Horton open the run with a three before Piercy scored inside and Horton finished it off with a dunk at the 15:26 mark.
Rider held a small lead for just over nine minutes before Perkins found Hall inside for a layup with 6:07 left, giving the Eagles a 58-57 lead. Burton buried a three for the Broncs to take back the lead and Coppin answered to tie the score three other times on three-straight baskets by Hall, Perkins and Lamizana.
Hall collected his own rebound on a pair of missed shots with just over two minutes left before hitting both free throws, giving the Eagles a 66-64 lead. Rider made 1-of-2 free throws with 1:23 left to cut CSU's lead to one before Horton's free throws with seven seconds to go.
CSU returns to the court after the holiday to play at Loyola Maryland on Sunday, November 30 at 6 pm. The action from Reitz Arena will also air on ESPN+.
