Eagles Hold Off Norfolk State 76-69
Coppin State 76, Norfolk State 69
NORFOLK, Va. - Jordan Lee scored a game-high 20 points and Coppin State made 24-of-28 free throw attempts to defeat Norfolk State 76-69 in a MEAC game on Monday in Echols Hall.
Lee, who was 6-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the line, led four players in double-figure scoring for the Eagles. Michael Harper had 14 points and Vince Goldsberry and Tony Gallo each had 13 points.
Coppin State (15-13, 10-5 MEAC) shot 48.1 percent from the floor and made 20-of-24 free throw attempts in the second half to overcome a 31-27 halftime deficit.
Kyle O'Quinn opened the second half with two straight baskets for Norfolk State to increase the Spartans lead to 35-27 with 19:24 left in the game.
Harper scored five points during a 9-0 Coppin State run that gave the Eagles a 36-35 lead with 15:10 to play in the second half.
Rob Hampton gave Norfolk State its final lead of the game at 42-41 with a three-pointer with 13:29 to play, but Lee answered with a driving layup that gave the Eagles the lead for good at 43-42 at the 12:38 mark of the second half.
The layup ignited a 20-6 run that gave the Eagles a 61-48 lead with 9:04 to play.
Norfolk State (9-19, 7-8 MEAC) clawed its way back into the game and a free throw by Aleek Pauline cut the Coppin State lead to 71-67 with 1:17 remaining in the second half.
But the Eagles made 5-of-8 free throw attempts down the stretch to hold off the Spartans and secure the victory.
Brandon Wheeless led Norfolk State with 16 points and Pauline finished with 10 points. O'Quinn, who scored 37 points against the Eagles in a victory on Jan. 31, was limited to just nine points.
For the complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com or www.nsuspartans.com
Morgan State Knocked Off by Aggies, 68-60
North Carolina A&T 68, Morgan State 60
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Morgan State entered tonight's contest attempting to rebound from a disappointing loss at Norfolk State just two days ago, but ended up with another tough conference road loss.
Thomas Coleman scored 21 points and added nine rebounds and three blocks to lead North Carolina A&T to a 68-60 win during Monday night's ESPNU nationally televised game at Corbett Sports Center.
It marked the first time the Aggies had defeated Morgan State since a 91-79 home overtime win on February 19, 2007.
The loss dropped the Bears record to 15-12 overall and they remain in 2nd place in the MEAC with a 10-5 conference record.
N.C. A&T (15-15, 9-6 MEAC) took the lead at the 15:19 mark on a putback basket by Coleman, and never trailed from that point.
Morgan State made a late charge in the ballgame and erased a 9-point lead. When Aric Brooks hit a 3-pointer from the corner to pull the Bears within 3, trailing 60-57 with 1:37 remaining. On the Bears next possession,Justin Black had an open look at a 3-pointer to tie the ballgame, but the shot went rimmed out.
Larry Bastfield fouled Marc Hill with 53.1 second left, it marked the beginning of a parade at the free throw line by the Aggies. Hill (11 pts) went 6-of-6 from the stripe and Coleman finished the game with a pair to lift A&T past the surging Bears 68-60.
Nic Simpson finished with 12 points, while Jeremy Underwood has 10.
Rodney Stokes scored a career-high 18 points (8-11 FG) with eight rebounds and three blocked shots for the Bears, who had won five in a row before falling at Norfolk State on Saturday, and now N.C. A&T.
Kevin Thompson, who was limited due to early foul trouble, managed to record his 12th double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds before leaving late in the contest with a strained hamstring.
For the complete story, visit www.morganstatebears.com or www.ncataggies.com
Eagles Fall To Bethune-Cookman 73-60
Bethune-Cookman 73, North Carolina Central 60
Bethune-Cookman clinched their first regular season title in the MEAC since joining Division I in 1980 and first conference regular season championship since the 1976-77 team split the SIAC crown with Florida A&M with a Morgan State loss to North Carolina A&T on Monday night.
The Wildcats, who earned a 73-60 non-conference victory over North Carolina Central, earned the number one seed for next week's conference tournament and a berth in the NIT. B-CU's 12-3 in conference play, while MSU slipped to 10-5.
B-CU (19-11) won its sixth straight -- the first time since 1989 the Wildcats have won that many in a row - but the team maintained its "one game at a time" mantra even after finding out about the championship.
C.J. Reed scored 23 points - his fifth straight 20-point night -- and Stanley Elliott added a career-high16 as B-CU withstood a fierce North Carolina Central (14-14) start.
The Eagles were at 64 percent from the field early and led by as many as eight points. B-CU got it down to 25-22 and after a NCCU three-pointer, the Wildcats closed the half with a 13-1 run for a 35-28 halftime lead.
B-CU shot 64.7 percent from the field in the second half and never let the Eagles get within six points. B-CU led by as many as 18 as CJ Reed was 4-5 from the field and Elliott 3-4.
Kevin Dukes had 13 points while Starling had 11. Landon Clement scored 18 points and C.J. Wilkerson 17 for the Eagles.
For the complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com or www.bcuathletics.com
Bulldogs Close Out MEAC Play With 65-53 Victory Over Rattlers
South Carolina State 65, Florida A&M 53
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Senior forward/guard Darnell Porter tossed in a team-high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead SC State to a 65-53 victory over Florida A&M Monday at AL Lawson Multipurpose Center. The Bulldogs closed out MEAC play with a 5-11 league record and currently is in ninth place in the standings.
South Carolina State improves to 9-20 overall, while FAMU falls to 12-18 overall and 7-8in the league. The Bulldogs handed the Rattlers their second home loss on the season.
FAMU was led in scoring by freshman guard Avery Moore with 19, while sophomore Amin Stevens chipped in 12 in the loss.
The Rattlers jumped out to a quick 10-2 advantage off a 3-pointer by true freshman Avery Moore at the 17:08 mark. Moore nailed another 3-pointer to give FAMU a six point lead, 23-17 with 5:01 left in the first-half. SC State battled back to cut the lead within three, 28-25 off a layup by junior forward Presano Bell with 1:58 left.
A free-throw by Brandon Hosley closed out the first-half with Florida A&M leading 29-24. Avery Moore led all scorers in the first-half with 17 points and connecting 5-of-6 from 3-point range. SC State out-rebounded FAMU 21-19.
Porter's jumper at the 14:24 mark gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the night 40-38. Senior guard Tyvon Williams steal followed by a layup with 6:57 left in regulation increased the margin to eight, 54-46. A tip-in by junior Joe Ikhinmwin gave SC State their biggest lead of the night 14, 51-65 with 2:53 left.
FAMU's Brandon Hosley tossed in a pair of free-throws with 1:40 left to cut the lead to 12,65-53 but it wasn't enough as SC State held on for the victory on 'Senior Night" over the Rattlers. The Bulldogs dominated in the paint outscoring their opponent 32-14, along an extra 23 points from their bench play.
Junior Presano Bell added 10 points and six rebounds, while forward Omar Sanders added nine and senior forward Rio Pitt grabbed a game-high eight rebounds in the victory.
For the complete story, visit www.scsuathletics.com or www.famurattlersports.com