To say that the 2011-12 season has been a frustrating one for the Morgan State Bears would be an understatement. On Wednesday night at Coppin State's Physical Education Complex, it looked to be more of the same.
This time, though, the Bears (7-18, 4-9) didn't fold, pulling off a 91-80 upset of the host Eagles (13-14, 8-6) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game.
Aric Brooks (St. Frances) led the Bears with 19 points, while Tony Gallo scored 21 to lead Coppin State.
"We fought through so much adversity this year," Bears coach Todd Bozeman said. "I talked about it all year with them. It's not just the winning and losing, but the life experiences they are going through. I'm happy for them, and I got a little emotional. This was a team effort, what I've been preaching all year."
The Eagles came out flat as can be on their senior night. Morgan, behind Brooks' nine points in the first two minutes, was just the opposite. The Bears used a double-team defense on Coppin's high-scoring Gallo, and the senior had just one field goal as the Bears rushed out to a 33-15 lead on a dunk by DeWayne Jackson with 10:07 to play in the first half.
Morgan held that lead until there were just over five minutes left in the half, capitalizing on Ian Chiles' layup to take a 41-23 lead with 5:33 remaining. The rest of the half, however, was all Coppin.
The Eagles went on a 15-4 run, getting five points from Antonio Williams, to cut the lead to 43-38 with 1:50 left in the half. After a layup by Chiles extended the lead to 45-38, everything fell apart for the Bears.
With 40.9 seconds left in the half, Jackson fouled Gallo, who was attempting a 3-pointer. The officials ruled the foul intentional, setting off Morgan coach Todd Bozeman, who was hit with a technical foul.
When the smoke cleared, the Eagles had cut the lead to 45-43. After a turnover by Morgan, Coppin's Michael Harper made a 3-pointer to give the Eagles their first lead of the game, 46-45, with one second left in the half.
The Bears again had to fight off a Coppin rally early in the second half but managed to hold their composure and get key baskets when they needed them.
After trading the lead several times, Morgan began to assert itself on the boards midway through the half. With Coppin leading 66-65 with 9:31 left, the Bears went on a 9-3 run to take a 74-68 lead with 6:51 left. Coppin State never seriously threatened after that point.
Asked whether the win meant more against a crosstown rival, Bozeman didn't miss a beat.
"Right now, I wouldn't care who we beat," Bozeman said. "I expected them to make a run at us, and they did. I'm just glad for the victory."
For Coppin, the loss all but eliminates the Eagles' chances of getting a first-round bye in the MEAC tournament in two weeks. Coppin coach Fang Mitchell attributed the loss to how his team started, not how it finished.
"It boiled down to how we came out in the first half," Mitchell said. "We can't give them an opportunity to get started like that. I was also disappointed in our defense. We aren't going to beat many teams giving up 90-some points."
MORGAN STATE--Brooks 5-7 7-9 19, Ali 2-2 0-0 4, Duncan 3-3 0-0 6, Black 7-12 2-3 17, Bozeman 1-2 0-0 3, Bastfield 1-5 2-3 4, Canty 4-5 0-0 12, Jackson 2-6 3-3 7, Thompson 3-8 1-5 7, Heath 0-0 0-0 0, Chiles 5-6 2-3 12. Totals 33-56 17-26 91.
COPPIN ST.--Ellis 4-6 3-6 14, Wiens 5-12 0-0 11, Williams 5-8 1-2 11, Harper 2-7 8-8 14, Gallo 5-11 9-9 21, Cephas 2-7 1-4 5, Murray 1-2 0-0 2, C. Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, St. Louis 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 25-55 22-30 80.
Halftime--Coppin St. 46-45. 3-point goals--Morgan St. 8-14 (Canty 4-4, Brooks 2-3, Bozeman 1-2, Black 1-3, Jackson 0-2), Coppin St. 8-25 (Ellis 3-4, Harper 2-6, Gallo 2-6, Wiens 1-7, Cephas 0-2). Fouled out--Williams. Rebounds--Morgan St. 33 (Thompson 11), Coppin St. 32 (Harper 8). Assists--Morgan St. 16 (Bastfield 5), Coppin St. 12 (Cephas 5). Total fouls--Morgan St. 30, Coppin St. 26. Technical--Morgan St. Bench. A--3,672.