Brittany Noel scored 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had two steals and two assists against Coppin State.
Bear Shots
Coppin State 56, Morgan State 63
BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 5, 2010)-Morgan State senior Brittany Dodson scored 12 of her team-high 15 points in the second half on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point range and fellow senior Brittany Noel scored 13 points to help the host Lady Bears hold off crosstown rival Coppin State, 63-56 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House.
Morgan State junior Mahala Thomas came off the bench to score 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, as the Lady Bears recorded their third straight win over Coppin State for the first time since a four-game winning streak from Feb. 25, 1999 to Feb. 26, 2000. Morgan State now trails the all-time series, 32-26.
Coppin State (2-4, 0-1 MEAC) was led by Larissa Carter, who scored 18 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, finishing 5-of-9 from the field, including 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Carter also hauled in a team-high eight rebounds to help the Eagles to a 38-35 rebounding advantage over Morgan State. Jeanine Manley tallied 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Saturday's contest was truly a tale of two periods. The host Lady Bears limited the guests to just 13 points in the first half, while holding a 22-point lead at the intermission. The second half was all Coppin State, as they Eagles scored 43 points to outscore Morgan State by 15 in the period and used a 35-15 spurt to cut a 25-point deficit down to five points (55-50) with 2:29 left to play, before running out of gas.
Before things began to turn in the Eagles favor, Morgan State (5-3, 1-0 MEAC) probably played its best half of basketball under the guidance of head coach Donald Beasley. Morgan State, which shot 56 percent (14-of-25) in the opening half, including 6-of-10 (60 percent) from three-point range, scored the game's first 11 points.
The guests finally got on the board at the 16:17 mark with two free throws by Manley, followed by a Manley layup with 15:28 to play. The Lady Bears then went back to work using a 14-0 run over the next eight minutes to extend their lead to 25-4 after a basket by Thomas. Noel later converted on a free throw to complete a three-point play then added a three-pointer as Morgan State closed out the half on a 6-4 run to take a 35-13 lead at the break.
Noel hit two free throws to get Morgan State on the board in the second half and Dodson followed with a trey at the 18:19 mark, to give the hosts their largest lead of the game (25 points) at 40-15. With 8:30 to play, the Lady Bears still held a 20-point lead, before Coppin State began to go to work.
Behind the play of Carter, Manley and Crystal Whittington, the Eagles held Morgan State to just four points over the next six minutes, while scoring 19 points during that stretch to pull within five points at 55-50 after a layup by Carter.
Hawkins hit two free throws to stop the bleeding and Whitney Southerland's floater in the lane with 1:24 to play increased the Morgan State lead to 59-50. Dodson sealed the game with four straight free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
The Lady Bears return to non-conference action on Sunday, Dec. 5, when then host Elon at 2 p.m. at Hill Field House. It will be the first meeting between the two teams.
