Four players from the Coppin State women’s basketball team scored in double digits during a 77-70 win over North Carolina Central at PEC Arena on Saturday. The victory brought Coppin State’s record to 4-14 overall and 2-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), while North Carolina Central dropped to 3-13 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
Paris McBride led Coppin State with 17 points, adding four steals and converting eight out of ten free throws. Khila Morris followed closely with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Erin Henry and Shanaii Gamble each contributed 14 points; Gamble was one rebound short of a double-double.
Bench players also made notable contributions. Skylar Barnes scored eight points, while Kyley Gary-Grayson added four points and four steals in just eight minutes on the court.
Coppin State was narrowly outshot by North Carolina Central—43.6% to 43.5%—but made up for it by hitting eleven three-pointers at a rate of 42.3% from beyond the arc and making 26 out of their 33 free throw attempts.
The game began with Coppin State scoring the first nine points, including three-pointers from Henry and McBride. After North Carolina Central responded, Coppin State went on another ten-point run to finish the first quarter ahead by fifteen points at 19-4.
North Carolina Central narrowed the gap late in the second quarter, but Gamble helped extend Coppin State’s lead before halftime with eight of the next ten points, resulting in a 40-27 advantage at intermission.
Both teams played evenly through much of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, North Carolina Central managed to close within five points twice—including once with only thirty-five seconds left—but McBride secured the win for Coppin State by making two free throws ten seconds later.
Coppin State will next play against Maryland Eastern Shore on Thursday, January 15, before hosting South Carolina on Sunday, January 18.
