BALTIMORE – Coppin State's men's basketball team was unable to hang on to a 14-point halftime lead in an 88-77 loss to NC Central on Saturday afternoon at PEC Arena. CSU fell to 3-16 overall and 1-1 in the MEAC while Central moved to 6-11 on the year and 2-0 in league play.
Jamari Piercy led all players with 19 points as Coppin had five players score in double figures.
Khali Horton added 15 points, followed by
Torrin Andrews and
Hussain Williams with 13 points apiece and
Chris Morgan with ten. Morgan led all players with seven rebounds while Andrews, Horton and
Hassan Perkins all had four assists.
Coppin opened the game on a 12-1 run and led by as many as 40-23 with 2:20 remaining in the first following a layup by Horton. Central cut the deficit to 11 just before half but Piercy buried a three just before the buzzer to give CSU a 45-31 halftime lead.
CSU maintained a 53-47 lead with 15:18 left in regulation but Central ran off 14 straight points and got up by as many as 13. The Navy & Gold fought back, pulling to within 79-75 with 1:50 to play after a 10-2 run but was unable to get over the hump.
NC Central shot 57.7% from the field and 8-of-11 (72.7%) from three in the second half while also hitting 19-of-23 free throws to make the comeback. Coppin also shot well from the floor but was limited to just 2-of-2 free throws in the second half.
For the game, Coppin outshot Central, 51.9% to 50.0% with four more field goals while both teams hit 12 3-pointers. The difference came at the line as NC Central made 28-of-36 compared to just 9-of-12 for Coppin, who was outrebounded by a slim, 28-27 margin.
CSU hosts South Carolina State at 7 pm on Monday, January 12 on ESPN+.
