BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 15, 2022)-Coppin State's Mossi Staples stole the inbounds pass below the midcourt stripe with 10.5 seconds remaining and scored a layup up to give the visiting Eagles a four-point lead with 6.1 left in the contest. The guests would hold on for a 67-65 victory over their rivals in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener for both teams at Hill Field House.
 
Saturday's win by Coppin State (7-7, 1-0 MEAC) ended a nine-game regular season losing skid to Morgan State, and was just the second win by the Eagles over Morgan State in the last 12 meetings.
 
Staples finished with 21 points and four steals, both game highs and added five assists in the win. Jalynda Salley, who shot 7-of-10 from the floor, scored eight of her 14 points in the first quarter and added six rebounds and a steal, before fouling out. Jaia Alexander totaled 12 points, pulled down a team-high eight boards, had three steals and two assists.
 
Coppin's victory spoiled solid performances by Morgan State's Adia Brisker and Taylor Addison. Brisker led the Lady Bears in scoring with 20 points, while adding four rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal. Addison was perfect from the floor, scoring 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including 3-for-3 from three-point range, while also knocking down all three of her free throw attempts. Addison also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, falling shy of a double-double.
 
"I was just super excited to play since it's been over a month since our last game," said Addison on her shooting performance. "I wanted to do anything I could to give my team a chance to win our first conference game and leave it all out on the floor."
 
Morgan State (6-5, 0-1 MEAC), which was playing for the first time in 38 days after having four games either cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19 protocols within the program and some of its opponents, saw its season-long six-game winning streak come to an end, while also suffering its first home loss of the season. The defeat is just the third home loss for the Lady Bears in 23 games, dating back to the 2018-19 season finale.
 
"As a team it was definitely hard going 38 days without a game. I think we all were looking forward to playing especially since we had a momentum going with our six-game winning streak," said Addison. "I personally was just excited to get out on the floor and play ball again. The hiatus left us a little rusty, but I feel this game got us going to get back on track from where we left off."
 
Leading 38-36 at the intermission, Coppin State started the third period the way it began the game, by going inside to Salley. Salley, who scored Coppin State's first eight points to start the game, scored the first four to begin the third quarter in part of an 8-2 run, as the guests opened up a 46-38 lead with 6:12 left in the quarter. Morgan State responded with an 11-4 spurt to pull within 50-49, but Staples hit a three-pointer before time expired to give the Eagles a 53-49 lead after three quarters of play.
 
Dahnye Redd hit a jumper in the lane with 2:08 left in the game to give Morgan State a 63-62 advantage, its first since leading 36-33 in the second quarter. The lead would be short-lived, as Coppin responded with five straight points, including the final two on the steal and layup by Staples to give the Eagles a 67-63 lead with 6.1 seconds left. Morgan State's Ja'Niah Henson ended the game with a layup for the game's final score.
 
Coppin State finished the contest connecting on 15-of-23 free throws (65.2 percent), while Morgan State shot 8-of-11 for 73 percent.
 
The Lady Bears will be off until next Saturday, Jan. 22, when they play host to Beltway rival Howard. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. at Hill Field House. The Bison were a 100-53 winner on the road at Division II Frostburg State on Saturday. Howard was originally scheduled to play Norfolk State in its MEAC opener, but the game was postponed due to Covid-19 protocols within the Spartans' program.


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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.