Defense helps Lady Eagles break losing streak

by Keith Henry


The Coppin State Lady Eagles found their way out of the wilderness this night at the PEC. The defense came out and showed their mettle and they hit some crucial free throws on the way to a 48-39 victory over the Howard Lady Bison.

This win ended the Lady Eagles' seven game losing streak and it gave them their first MEAC win of the season as well.

Coppin center Crystal Whittington said about the win, "We turned it around. We felt like we didn't have a choice. We're not losing any (more) home games. Everybody stepped up to play and it finally came alive."

The Coppin State defense stepped up in a major way in not allowing a Howard three-pointer until late in the second half. But the young Lady Eagles have always found a way to make the game more interesting.

Both teams struggled mightily with their shooting in the first half. Howard (3-12, 0-3 MEAC) threw a 3-2 zone at the Lady Eagles. It took them a little while to find a way through their zone. Once Coppin State figured it out, it really helped them get ahead early. The bigs will still need to find a way to avoid foul trouble. CSU center Jeanine Manley got into trouble in the first half with fouls. CSU head coach Derek Brown said about the foul trouble, "That's something we have to correct (with) the big people. We make two foolish fouls that they shouldn't make and that puts them out of the game."

Once Manley took a seat, Whittington came into the game and made an immediate impact inside the paint. Whittington said of the approach to Howard's zone defense, "We knew that we had to attack, penetrate. The middle was open. We had to just take our time."

That led to Coppin's 22-17 halftime lead.

Coppin State (3-10, 1-2 MEAC) extended their lead in the second half to 32-22 on a steal and lay-up from Shawntae Payne with 13:03 left.

Howard came alive shortly after that. The Lady Bison forced a few turnovers and on the offensive end, rebounds gave Howard various chances to score. They made the most of those chances during their 14-4 run. Cheyenne Curley-Payne stole the ball from Leola Spotwood which led to a short jumper from Tamoria Holmes to tie the game at 36 with 7:36 left.

Coach Brown called a timeout after that basket and made some substitutions in Janine Manley and Jaleah Holsey coming into the game.The results of that timeout proved beneficial for the Lady Eagles. Coppin State turned things around defensively which led to some key baskets and free throws in their game closing 12-3 run.

Manley came back in and converted a lay-up. Then after a missed three-point attempt from Curley-Payne, Whittington again converted a driving lay-up. Then Manley stole the ball from Holmes which led to Whittington converting two free throws, giving Coppin a 42-36 lead.

Defensively, the Lady Eagles didn't allow a Howard score for a span of 6:23.

Coach Brown was very pleased about Whittington's contribution and said about her, "Crystal is like the wind. It blows east, it blows west, you never know what you're going to get from her game in and game out. I think she relaxed more today. If she relaxes, she plays well. If she's a little tense, she doesn't play as well."

Whittington, who led CSU with 15 points on the evening, said about the timeout, "We realized that this team can't beat us. I think everybody just sat back and realized why are they trying to come back in the game. This should be our game."