EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Coppin State's opponent in the first round of the Oldsmobile Spartan Classic cut back on the Eagles' shooting range last night.
Shooting a season-low 3-for-19 from three-point territory, the Eagles fell to Long Beach State, 69-63, in the first round of the tournament at Michigan State's Breslin Arena.
The loss ended Coppin State's two-game win streak, which included a 69-66 upset of Louisiana State a week earlier. The Eagles misfired throughout the game and shot just 30 percent from the field.
Entering the game, Coppin State was averaging 10.1 three-pointers a game after finishing among the top 10 in the nation in three-point shooting percentage a year ago.
Stephen Stewart, Sidney Goodman and Keith Carmichael entered the game averaging nearly 14 points apiece. They shot a combined 11-for-39 from the field. Stewart finished with a game-high 22 points, Goodman 14 and Carmichael five.
"We had open shots in the first half, but we were moving too fast and pulling the trigger too fast," said Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell. "It was one of those nights where the jump shot just wasn't falling."
The 49ers, meanwhile, connected on 51 percent of their shots and held on for the win despite turning the ball over 31 times.
"We had a lot of opportunities to score, but we just didn't capitalize on those opportunities," Mitchell said. "I don't care who you're playing against, if you can't score with the opportunities you get you'll be in for a long night."
Despite spotting Long Beach State a 15-point lead in the first half and trailing by as many as 12 with just over 12 minutes remaining, the Eagles tied the score twice in the final four minutes.
Stewart nearly brought the Eagles back singlehandedly with free jTC throws. Stewart was 13-for-14 from the line in the second half. His four free throws in a 50-second span enabled Coppin to tie the score twice, including at 61 with 3:10 left.
But Long Beach State, which never trailed, answered with seven unanswered points to assure itself of a berth in tonight's 8 o'clock tournament final. The 49ers (4-1) will play No. 15 Michigan State (6-1). Coppin State (2-6) plays Ball State (5-2) in the consolation game at 6.
Long Beach State was led by Everett Ratleff with 14 points and Mike Atkinson and Jamie Davis with 13 apiece.
"We played tough defense on their perimeter people," said Long Beach State coach Seth Greenberg. "Carmichael and Goodman are two of the best guards we'll see.
"We did a good job on Stewart as a team. He's a big load to keep off the glass."
The Eagles spotted Long Beach State a 12-2 lead less than four minutes after the opening tip. It was 19-4 before Stewart hit a three-pointer with 11:23 left in the first half.
Coppin State managed to cut the lead to 24-16 and trailed 38-29 at halftime despite shooting just 31 percent from the field and committing 10 first-half turnovers.
The 49ers, who shot 52 percent from the field, committed 16 first-half turnovers themselves, allowing the Eagles to stay in the game.
"We might have set an Oldsmobile Classic record to win a game while committing 31 turnovers," Greenberg said.
In the other first-round game, Shawn Respert scored 20 of his 33 points in the first half and Michigan State beat Ball State, 117-95.
Respert, who moved into 20th place on the Big Ten's all-time scoring list, helped Michigan State break its nine-year-old Spartan Classic scoring record, set in a 103-60 romp over Central Michigan.