BALTIMORE – Dejuan Clayton converted on a three-point play with 27 seconds left to cap off a rally as the Coppin State men’s basketball team defeated rival Morgan State, 73-71 on Saturday afternoon at PEC Arena. The Eagles have now matched their win total from last season.
The Basics
- Final Score: Coppin State 73, Morgan State 71
- Records: Coppin State 5-19 (5-4 MEAC) / Morgan State 8-14 (3-6 MEAC)
- Location: Baltimore, Md. (PEC Arena)
- Series History: Coppin State Leads, 58-32
How It Happened
First Half
- Both teams battled for position throughout the first half as leads fluctuated for both teams between one and six points.
- At the 3:51 mark, Ibn Williams made a driving layup to cut the Morgan State lead to 27-26, but the Bears closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 36-28 halftime lead.
Second Half
- Trailing, 39-30 with 16:57 left, the Eagles went on an 8-1 run, starting with a three by Cedric Council and a three-point play by Dejuan Clayton, cutting the deficit to a single bucket.
- Morgan built the lead back up to six with 9:38 to go but Taqwain Drummond found Council wide open underneath for a slam, and Lamar Morgan buried a three to pull within 51-50 at the 9:09 mark.
- Following a Bears bucket, Morgan tied the score at the 7:18 mark and again at 57 with 5:58 to play after a couple triples.
- The teams traded baskets but Kent Auslander buried a three from the corner, giving CSU a 62-59 lead with 4:28 left. It was the Eagles’ first lead since the 5:47 mark of the first half.
- Kyson Rawls answered for Morgan with a three to tie the score back up but Auslander hit another three on the ensuing possession, putting the Eagles back on top with 3:34 left.
- A three-point play by Morgan’s David Syfax tied the score but Dejuan Clayton hit a pair of free throws and found Auslander for a layup to give the Eagles a 69-65 advantage with 2:38 left.
- Sherwyn Devonish cut the lead in half with a layup with 39 seconds to go but Clayton answered as he drove for a layup and converted on the and-one with 27 seconds remaining to seal the win.
- Morgan tried desperately to get back with a couple free throws but a free throw by Morgan put an end to that as he gave the Eagles a 73-69 lead with seconds remaining.
Inside the Numbers
- Dejuan Clayton finished with 16 points, six rebounds and matched a career-high with eight assists. The redshirt sophomore was brilliant in the second half, going for 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists to no turnovers.
- Lamar Morgan added 15 points while making four three-pointers and Cedric Council was also in double figures with 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.
- Taqwain Drummond also chipped in with nine points and six rebounds while Chad Andrews-Fulton was all over the box score once again with seven points, a game-high nine rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
- Kent Auslander came up big once again down the stretch, scoring eight points while grabbing five rebounds. All eight of his points came in the final five minutes as he hit back-to-back three’s.
- Sherwyn Devonish led all scorers with 19 points as three other players added ten points each for Morgan State.
- Coppin outshot Morgan, 40.0% to 35.7% and held the Bears to just 30.6% shooting in the second half. The Eagles held a 49-44 advantage on the boards.
