Reggie Holmes poured in a game-high 24 points at Coppin State.
Boxscore
Bear Shots
BALTIMORE, Md. – Saturday marked a new era in Coppin State basketball with the grand opening of The Physical Education Complex (PEC), but it was the Bears who ended up making history on the night by beating the Eagles 80-67 in front of a crowd of 3,189.
Reggie Holmes poured in 16 of his game-high 24 points during a second half surge to help Morgan State snap a two-game losing skid and record its fourth consecutive win against the Eagles.
MSU (5-3, 1-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) freshman forward DeWayne Jackson was the first person to score a basket in the new facility when he converted a basket and was fouled by Coppin's George Jackson in the opening moments. The play jump-started an 11-2 run by the Bears, six scored by Holmes, and MSU never trailed from that point forward.
Holmes, who entered the game ranked No. 9 in the nation in scoring (24.7 ppg), recorded his seventh game with 20 or more points in eight contests.
“He (Reggie) didn't panic or force shots,” said MSU head coach Todd Bozeman. “That's something that he's gotten better and better with every year.”
“He came in as a freshman and he'd take a three from the parking lot, when we needed him to go all the way in. Now, Reggie has a mid-range game and he has more patience. That's just a sign of maturity.”
Morgan State (5-3, 1-0 MEAC) absolutely dominated the paint. The Bears outrebounded their rivals 47-31 and outscored the Eagles in second chance opportunities 24-11.
MSU forward Kevin Thompson stepped up and produced his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Jackson added 11 points and a season-high nine rebounds.
CSU (4-3, 0-1 MEAC) cut the deficit to 24-21 when Goldsberry hit a foul shot with 4:41 remaining. But the Eagles struggled inside as they couldn't convert their lay-ups or tip-ins. Fang said, “They were rushing. They tried to make things bigger than what it is. We're just going to have to settle down.”
The Bears size and length posed a problem all night for the Eagles guards Lenny Young, Kareem Brown and George Jackson. The starting trio shot a combined 4-for-29 from the field and2-for 13 from 3-point territory.
Junior guard Vince Goldsberry led the Eagles with 14 points and five assists off of the bench.
Morgan led 34-25 at the half. But they got red hot in the second half as the Bears converted 51.7% from the field and extended its lead to 60-40 when Holmes hit a 3-pointer with 10:51 left.
The Eagles trimmed the deficit to 10 on four separate occasions after that, however, fouls accumulated and MSU buried free throw after free throw to put the Eagles away.
“It's a nice place,” Bozeman said. “It's great for Coppin and our league. I told the guys that they're in the history books. They won the first game ever played here.”
Bear Shots
♦ Reggie Holmes had a stretch of 15 straight free throws that ended at Coppin State on Saturday … The 15 straight is the most consecutive free throws in school history.
