Baltimore, Md. (Feb. 3, 2014) --- The Delaware State University men's basketball team came within seconds of notching its first MEAC win of the season, but came up empty in a 54-53 loss to Coppin State at CSU's Physical Education Complex this evening.
The Hornets had the final possession after Coppin State took a 54-53 lead on two free throws by Taariq Cephas with 24.7 seconds left to play.
After Delaware State called a timeout with 19 seconds remaining, the Hornets worked the ball around the perimeter before A.J. Thomas had the ball knocked away while driving to the basket as time expired.
“We were trying to get off a shot with around seven seconds left to give us a chance for an offensive rebound in case of a miss,” said Delaware State interim head coach Keith Walker. “Unfortunately, we were unable to execute the way we had hoped and had to rush at the end.”
Delaware State trailed by as many as nine in the first half, but cut the deficit to three (28-25) at the break.
The Hornets rallied behind Kendall Gray and Tyshawn Bell to grab their first lead of the second half, 45-43, on a dunk by Gray with 7:49 left to play.
Gray and Bell failed to score in the first half after each picked up two early fouls. Each finished with team highs of 11 points, all in the second half.
Coppin State answered with a 5-0 run, and opened up a 48-45 lead on a three-pointer by Andre Armstrong with 6:09 remaining.
Delaware State tied the game for the sixth time (48-48) when Casey Walker nailed a three-point shot with 5:10 left.
The Hornets took their final lead of the game, 53-52, on another dunk by Gray off a feed from Bell with 39 seconds showing on the second half clock.
On the ensuing possession, Cephas was fouled by DSU's Kendal Williams. Cephas hit the two free throws for the final points of the game.
“I'm really proud of the way our guys fought back,” Walker said. “It's too bad that their hard work was not rewarded with a win. If they continue to work hard and remain focused, I'm certain the wins will come. ”
Armstrong led three Coppin State players in double figures with 13 points. His performance was highlighted by three three-point field goals.
Delaware State was 22-for-48 from the field (45.8%), including three-of-11 from three-point territory (27.3%). The Hornets took just eight free throws, hitting six.
Coppin State had just 14 field goals (14-for-40; 35.0%). The Eagles were five-of-18 from beyond the arc and 21 of 29 at the charity stripe.
Coppin State won the rebound battle 32-25.
Delaware State dropped its seventh straight game to fall to 4-17 overall and 0-8 in the MEAC, its worse league start since going 0-12 during the 1976-77 season.
The Hornets will play their next two games at home, beginning with a visit from MEAC rival South Carolina State on Saturday (Feb. 8). Game time is 4:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall. The home stand concludes with a MEAC contest against Savannah State on Monday (Feb. 10) at 7:30 p.m.
