2022-23 DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL
"HORNETS" (6-21; 4-8 MEAC) vs. Coppin State "EAGLES" (7–22; 2-10 MEAC)
Mon. Feb. 27, 2023 - 7:30 p.m.
Dover, Del. (Memorial Hall—Bayhealth Court) - 1,800
Live Video: YouTube (DESU-TV)                             
Live Audio: HSRN.com
 
THE GAME 
Delaware State (6-21; 4-8 MEAC) begins a two-game homestand to end the 2022-23 regular season with a league contest against Coppin State. The Hornets, currently sixth in the MEAC standings, are coming off an 83-78 loss to Morgan State on Saturday. .O'Koye Parker came off the bench to lead all players with 23 points, his third game with 20-or-more this season. Parker hit 10 of his 19 shots from the field, including three-of-nine from beyond the arc. Martaz Robinson added 20 points (7-10 FG; 6-6 FT), while Khyrie State chipped in 12 and Corey Perkins 10 for the Hornets. Perkins also tied for game-high honors with six assists, while also recording three steals to share the high with two other players. For the season, Robinson has climbed to the Hornets' lead in scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. In addition, he's second on the Hornets with 71 assists this season. Brandon Stone, who has missed several games of late with a knee injury, is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points and in rebounding at 5.2 per game. Staten is the Hornets' third-leading scorer at 9.0 points per game.  
 
Coppin State (7-22; 2-10 MEAC), tied for seventh with South Carolina State in the MEAC,  have lost 10 of its last 11 games, although the win was a 69-62 victory over current MEAC co-leader Norfolk State on the road last Monday (Feb. 20). The Eagles are coming off a 78-57 loss to Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday. Coppin State hit just 19 of its 53 shots from the field (35.8%), including five-of- 22 on three-point attempts (22.7%). The Eagles feature the MEAC's top scorer in guard Sam Sessoms, who leads the league in scoring at 21.6 points per game. Sessoms in also fourth in the league with 54 three-point field goals, and and sixth in three-pointers per game at 1.9. Fellow guard Nendah Tarke is second on the Eagles in scoring (12.1 ppg) and tops the team in rebounding at 6.1 per game.                            
 
THE SERIES  (CSU leads 54-33)
This is the second meeting between the Hornets and Eagles this season. Delaware State won the first contest 71-66 on Jan. 30 in Baltimore, Md., snapping a seven-game Coppin State win streak in the series. Martaz Robinson led four double-figure scorers for the Hornets with 20 points on eight-for-17 shooting from the field, including two three-pointers. Robinson also led Delaware State with 10 rebounds to record his first collegiate "double-double. ," Khyrie Staten came off the bench to add 13 points, including a mid-court shot to beat the first half buzzer, cutting Coppin State's lead to one (32-31) at the break. Brandon Stone and Cameron Stitt scored 10 points each as reserves for the Hornets. Stitt was four-for-seven from the field, including two three-pointers. Coppin State led by as many as nine in the first half before a three-pointer by Stone and Staten's mid-court shot shifted momentum to the Hornets. There were three lead changes and five ties in the second half. Delaware State took the lead for good, 53-51, after two free throws by Corey Perkins (9 points, 4 assists) at the 8:42 mark of the second half.