MEAC Tournament: Rally sends Coppin to MEAC title game

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- The Coppin State women’s basketball team refused to lose despite a myriad of obstacles that included foul trouble, an 11-point second half deficit and lots of missed shots.

 

Yet, despite those issues, third-seeded Coppin State turned to its suffocating defense and showcased tremendous heart and desire, facets of its game that’s been reliable all season. The Eagles dug deep to pull off a rally to remember and beat second-seeded North Carolina A&T, 57-55, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) semifinal barnburner at the Scope Arena Friday night.

 

“It was a very hard fought game,” Coppin State head coach Derek Brown said. “It wasn’t the prettiest, but I think it was very interesting for the fans; a lot of up and down. Either team could have won this game, but these young ladies from the seniors on down to the freshmen, there’s no quit. It seems like they will not denied.”

 

The decisive basket was scored when Kyra Coleman got off a shot that missed and Janelle Lane was able to keep it alive and got the ball out to Larrisa Carter, who hit the short jumper with 28 seconds remaining. The Lady Aggies rushed a shot at the other end that was rebounded by Lane, but she turned the ball over with 8.1 seconds remaining while being surrounded by three Aggie players.

 

It seemed only fitting that the game came down to the Eagles making one final defensive stand. Coppin State (17-13 overall) survived two clean North Carolina A&T 3-point shot attempts in the final 8.1 seconds to earn a third shot at No. 1 seed Hampton in Saturday’s championship. Coppin State handed North Carolina A&T (24-6) two of its six losses this season.

 

Coppin State will be making its first appearance in the MEAC championship game since 2008. The women’s basketball is also the second CSU women’s team to compete for a MEAC title this year, joining the volleyball team, who also lost to Hampton.

 

The championship game will be broadcast on tape delay Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on ESPNU. The winner of the Hampton-Coppin State game will advance to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship tournament with selections and pairings to be held Monday night at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.

 

The Pirates have ended the Eagles season in each of the last three years in the semifinals. Clearing the semifinal hurdle was sweet relief for Coppin State’s sensational senior triumvirate of Coleman, Ashle Craig and Carter. Once the ball bounced off the rim following North Carolina A&T’s final shot and the buzzer sounded, Coleman threw the ball high in the air as the Eagles celebrated an amazing come-from-behind victory.

 

“Myself, Ashle and Larrisa, this our first time getting this far,” Coleman said. “We know how hard that we work and we know that we deserve to play for a championship. Just the fact that we got it done, we never quit, even when we were down by 11 points, but the fact that we kept fighting was proof that we can do it. Coach Brown told us to execute, which we weren’t doing. That’s why we were in the position we were in. The fact that we kept fighting, to me, was enough to make me throw the ball in the air.”

 

The final seven minutes of the game featured six ties, three lead changes and more suspense than an episode of “Scandal.”

 

Carter made two foul shots with 3:23 remaining to give Coppin State a 52-51 lead. The Eagles never trailed again even though the Aggies tied the game three times and for the last time at 55 on an Eboni Ross putback basket with 52 seconds remaining.

 

Coleman led Coppin State with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. She upped her career scoring total to 1,327 points. Carter, who played 15 minutes because of foul trouble, scored nine points and pulled down five rebounds. Carter moved past Leola Spotwood and into 10th place on the all-time Coppin State scoring list. She has scored 1,054 points in her career. Craig also added nine points for the Eagles, who extended their season-best winning streak to five games.

 

This was a total team performance for the Eagles as everybody contributed to the victory. Battling against the bigger, stronger and taller North Carolina A&T front line, sophomore forward Janelle Lane was huge with seven points and a team-best eight rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Swails ignited the Eagles with six of her eight points in the first half to help Coppin State recover from an early 16-9 deficit. Sophomore Omaah Tayong added five points and four rebounds and Bria Harris contributed a pair of steals.

 

Everybody’s best was needed when Coppin State fell behind, 41-30, with 16:07 remaining following a Tracey King fastbreak layup. Brown took a timeout and the Eagles returned to the court more determined than ever to get back into the game. Led by Craig and Coleman, the Eagles turned the defense up a few notches and switched to a 2-3 zone defense that befuddled the Aggies.

 

North Carolina A&T scored two points during an 8:53 stretch of the second half as Coppin State worked its way back into the game. Coppin State unleashed a 14-2 run -- capped by a Swails jumper -- that gave the Eagles their first lead of the game, 44-43 with seven minutes remaining. During their run, the Eagles defense forced eight turnovers and limited the Aggies to a 1-for-7 shooting effort.

 

“Both teams went back and forth,” North Carolina A&T coach Tarrell Robinson said. “I thought Coppin State wanted it a little more. Coach Brown is by far one of the best coaches in this league and he did a good job of managing the game. His girls did a good job of staying in it.”

 

The two teams battled hard in the first 20 minutes. It featured six ties and six lead changes. Following Coleman’s two free throws that tied the score for the sixth time, the Lady Aggies closed out the half with a 6-0 run over the last 2:01 to take a 31-25 lead at the half.

 

Now, this terrific senior class has the opportunity it always believed it would have.

 

“Before the tournament even started, we looked at every game like it was our last game, like every game was the championship game,” Craig said. “We knew it was going to be tough from the beginning. We knew we were going to have to match their intensity and their fight and we did that. After winning a game like that, it felt like we won a championship already, even though it wasn’t. We know we have another game and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

BOXSCORE

By Rob Knox
COURTESY COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION