PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Coppin State's men's basketball team was edged at Maryland Eastern Shore, 70-67 on Saturday afternoon at Hytche Center. The Eagles fell to 3-18 overall and 1-3 in the MEAC while the Hawks improved to 8-13 on the year and a perfect 4-0 in league play.
Nelson Lamizana led Coppin with 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting while hitting all seven of his free throws to go with a game-high seven rebounds. The freshman from West Chester, Pa., also dished out two assists, matching
Hassan Perkins for a team high. Perkins was also in double figures with ten points and two steals against his former team while
Torrin Andrews added 13 points.
Also, contributing on the offensive end was
Taj Thweatt with nine points,
Khali Horton with seven,
Hussain Williams with five and
Tyler Koenig with four in his return to action.
UMES outshot Coppin, 46.9% to 41.7% as the rivals combined to shoot 38-of-40 from the line. Coppin held a 32-22 advantage on the glass but turned the ball over 20 times which led to 24 points for the Hawks.
CSU led by as many as 30-22 with 2:05 left in the first half after a three by Andrews but UMES cut the deficit to just 32-28 at the half. The Hawks retook the lead early in the second half and never looked back following a three with 2:35 remaining to go up, 64-61.
Lamizana answered the triple with a midrange jumper, cutting the deficit to a single point before the Hawks scored four-straight points. A pair of free throws by Andrews and a layup by Perkins kept it a one-possession game, but the Eagles were unable to capitalize on a Hawks turnover following a pair of timeouts.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, January 24 when they travel to Norfolk State for a MEAC men's and women's doubleheader.
