Coppin State University’s men’s basketball team lost a close game to South Carolina State, 74-72, on Monday night at PEC Arena in Baltimore. The defeat brings Coppin State’s record to 3-17 overall and 1-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), while South Carolina State improves to 3-15 and 2-1 in league play.
In the final minute of the game, Coppin State managed to erase a six-point deficit by scoring seven of eight points in just 26 seconds. With ten seconds left, the score was tied after a series of plays that included a three-pointer from Hassan Perkins and free throws by Taj Thweatt. However, South Carolina State’s Jayden Johnson scored on a mid-range shot with three seconds remaining. Coppin State’s last attempt from half court did not connect.
Hassan Perkins led Coppin State with 16 points, including four three-pointers and going 4-of-6 from the free throw line. He began the late rally with a three-pointer at the sixteen-second mark, cutting the deficit to three points. After South Carolina State made one of two free throws, Perkins was fouled attempting another three-pointer and made two out of three free throws. Thweatt then secured an offensive rebound after Perkins’ missed third shot and was fouled, making both free throws to tie the game.
Thweatt finished with nine points and collected eight rebounds for Coppin State. Torrin Andrews and Khali Horton each contributed twelve points. Nelson Lamizana and Josiah Brown added six points apiece. Perkins, Hussain Williams, and Jamari Piercy each recorded three assists; Williams also had six rebounds.
South Carolina State had a shooting percentage of 51.2%, compared to Coppin’s 36%. Despite this difference, Coppin stayed competitive by making ten shots from beyond the arc and converting on more than seventy-four percent of their thirty-five free throw attempts. The Eagles also tallied eighteen second-chance points and held a slight edge in rebounding with thirty-three boards compared to twenty-nine for South Carolina State.
Coppin State will next play against Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, January 17 at 4:30 p.m., with coverage available on Delmarva Sports Network.
