MEAC Women's Conference Tournament: Takeaways from Day 2
The second day of the MEAC tournament started with a bang with No. 4 Coppin State taking on No. 5 Maryland Eastern Shore and then No. 3 North Carolina Central squaring off against No. 6 Delaware State University.
The bracket is now set for day three, with today's results and both Norfolk State (No.1) and Howard (No.2) advancing to the semifinals after Wednesday’s wins.
Despite a predictable first round, day two’s winners may provide a plot twist in the semifinals. In the early game, Coppin State's Laila Lawrence willed her team to a victory with her smooth midrange game and physicality on the glass. In the late game, North Carolina Central was able to muscle their way to a win.
Here's everything you need to know about day two of the MEAC Tournament.
No. 4 CSU (Eagles) - No. 5 UMES (Hawks)
Coppin State defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 61-55 in a nail-biter. The Lady Eagles punched their ticket to Friday’s semifinal round where they will face off against the Norfolk State Spartans.
Game one between the Lady Eagles and Lady Hawks got off to a slow start due to poor shooting. Both teams were evenly matched and there were eight lead changes throughout the game but CSU’s Laila Lawrence hit huge shots down the stretch.
Lawrence led the team in scoring and rebounds with 19 and 9. Angel Jones helped Coppin take a commanding lead with her ability to get to the rim. She finished the game with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
Although Faith Blackstone didn’t score in double figures, her ability to knock down the 3 helped stifle Maryland Eastern Shore’s defense.
UMES started the game physically but regressed after the half when Coppin re-asserted themselves. The Hawks’ Lainey Allen (10 points) and Chaniqwa Gilliam (10 points) played well but the rest of the team struggled to contribute offensively.
Coppin State's second-half push
Coppin came out of the half with a new sense of energy. Lawrence helped the team settle down in the second half and anchored her squad at both ends. Her physicality and energy helped lead the team to victory.
Coppin State head coach Jermaine Woods decided to switch to a zone which bothered the Lady Hawks. UMES didn’t have the greatest shooting performance as they finished the game shooting 36.2 percent from the floor and 15.8 percent from 3.
The Lady Eagles pulled out the victory by spacing the floor and by knocking down open 3s, hitting 40 percent from downtown.
CSU will have their hands full as they take on Norfolk State who can match up with anyone and can score from the inside out consistently. Their size will cause problems for the Lady Eagles who don’t have a lot of frontcourt depth.
No. 3 NCCU (Eagles) - No. 6 DSU (Hornets)
The second game of the doubleheader featured North Carolina Central and Delaware State University. Entering the match-up, NCCU led the all-time series 12-9 and would go on to notch another win.
Both teams struggled to find rhythm early and turned the ball over for a combined 21 turnovers in the first half. Neither team shot the ball well from the floor in the first quarter.
Delaware State’s Denijsha Wilson and Savannah Brooks helped jump-start the team offensively by knocking down two huge 3s in the second quarter. On the flip side, North Carolina Central’s Janiah Jones put pressure on the Hornet's defense by getting to the rim for an easy layup or a kick out for an open 3.
Delaware State - North Carolina Central matchups
Before entering the tournament, the two teams split the season series (1-1). At halftime, the game was all knotted up 30-30. In the second half the game was dead even until the fourth quarter when DSU continued to miss easy layups and turn the ball over.
NCCU was able to take a commanding lead by playing inside out and trapping DSU's guards. They were able to start knocking down 3 which made it hard for the Hornets to come back into the game.
The Eagles' own Morgan Callahan was instrumental because of her size and ability to alter shots Toward the end of the third quarter Delaware State's Deyonce Thompson was pulled from the game which changed their offensive dynamic. Thompson is a strong guard who can handle the ball if needed, attack the lane, or knock down a 3. She is a playmaker that DSU can rely on in spurts and they really missed her.
Unfortunately, the Hornets were not able to generate enough offense and went cold in the fourth quarter at the wrong time. NCCU will take on No. 2 Howard in Friday's semifinals.