Coppin State comes up short to Eastern Kentucky in thriller
BALTIMORE – Playing its first home game in 20 days, the Coppin State men’s basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 66-63 decision to Eastern Kentucky in a non-conference contest at the Physical Education Complex Tuesday afternoon.
Coppin State (1-13 overall) had three players reach double figures led by senior guard Taariq Cephas, who scored 17 points and handed out seven assists. Christian Kessee finished with 13 points and Sterling Smith added 10 points along with five rebounds. Arnold Fripp had 10 rebounds, the second straight contest with double-digit caroms.
While the losses are tough, Coppin State entered the game having played the 20th toughest schedule in all of Division I men’s basketball. The Eagles are the only school in the MEAC with a strength of schedule under 100. The next school is Morgan State, which SOS is 101.
Eleven of the Eagles’ 13 opponents that defeated them currently have winning records. Six of Coppin State’s losses are to teams ranked in the top 100 of the ESPN Basketball Percentage Index (BPI), most of any school in the MEAC.
Coppin State concludes its non-conference schedule Saturday night when it visits Akron. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com
Hawks Grind Out Third Straight Win
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men’s basketball team had to battle to the final buzzer, but the Hawks prevailed over the University of Tennessee-Martin for a 63-60 win on Tuesday night. UMES improved to 8-8 with their third straight victory to close out 2014, all coming on the road.
Mike Myers put in a workmanlike effort down low, posting his second straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Perhaps most impressively, Myers successfully passed out of double-teams for a career-high six assists and zero turnovers. Walker led the team with 16 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-4 from deep. Martin finished with nine points, including 5-of-5 from the free throw line with two clutch makes with 18 seconds remaining.
UMES closes the calendar year with a three-game winning streak with road wins at St. Bonaventure, Duquesne and UT-Martin. It is the first three-game winning streak for UMES since the 2010-2011 season. The Hawks have won seven of their last nine games to pull to an even .500 record for the year. This is the latest that UMES has sported a record at .500 or better since the 2001-02 season.
The Hawks will enjoy a week off, next playing on Wednesday, January 7 at N.J.I.T. Tip-off for the first game of 2015 will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Fleisher Center in Newark, N.J. The matchup with the Highlanders will be the final non-conference game of the season before UMES returns to league play against Morgan State.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
Baylor Rides Big Second Half to 92-51 Win over NSU
WACO, Texas – No. 22 Baylor opened the second half on a 23-2 run to turn what had been a close game with the Norfolk State men’s basketball team into a 26-point lead. The Bears never led by less than 23 the rest of the way in a 92-51 win over the Spartans on Tuesday night at the Ferrell Center.
Royce O’Neale hit five 3-pointers during the first five minutes of the second half to help the Bears break out. He finished the night with 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, as Baylor improved to 11-1.
Junior Jeff Short led the Spartans with 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting as NSU fell to 9-6. He was aided by a 9-of-12 effort from the free throw line, giving him his fourth straight game with at least 23 points.
The Spartans, meanwhile, connected on just 25 percent in the second half (8-of-32) to finish 18-of-54 (33.3 percent) for the game. They also shot 5-of-17 from the 3-point line, compared to 8-of-19 for Baylor.
The Bears had a big edge in points in the paint, 48-20, while outrebounding the Spartans 46-31, with exactly half of those boards (23) coming on the offensive end. Baylor also had a huge edge in points off turnovers, 30-9, thanks to 18 NSU giveaways.
The 41-point margin marked NSU’s worst loss since a 47-point, 103-56 setback at UNLV on Dec. 18, 2006. The Spartans gave up their most points since a 104-84 loss to Mount St. Mary’s on Jan. 3, 2014.
D’Shon Taylor was the only other scorer in double figures for NSU, as he finished with 11 points, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Senior Malik Thomas added seven points, while Gaston tallied six points and 10 boards, all in the first half. He extended his streak of double-digit rebounding games to 10 straight.
Rico Gathers tallied a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards for Baylor. Prince and Al Freeman both scored 13 off the bench.
NSU will play its second straight game against a high-level opponent when it takes on Georgia on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Athens, Ga.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com
Stewart posts career high in loss to The Citadel
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Brandon Stewart scored a career-high 22 points in Bethune-Cookman’s 51-47 loss at The Citadel Tuesday.
The senior from Miami was six of 15 from the field and 10-14 from the line, but the Wildcats (3-10) remained winless in seven road games this season.
Ricky Johnson finished with 10 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, while Denzil Dulin posted five points and six boards. Quentin Brewer led the Wildcats with eight rebounds.
Bethune-Cookman travels to Ball State Saturday afternoon.
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com