MEAC
Coppin Stretches Streak, Wins ME AC
? Eagles Trounce Del. State 80-53
Some of the best-kept secrets in sports
are black college sports teams. Coppin
State is a perfect example. The Eagles won
the recent Mid-Eastern Athletic Confer
ence basketball championship to advance
to the NCAA Division 1 Tournament.
Here's what some people may not
know: The MEAC championship victory
over Delaware State was the Eagles' 16th
victory in a row. That's the longest win
ning stjeak in the nation?
As expected. Coppin State (22-8)
raced through the MEAC tournament field
at Norfolk. Va.. and trounced Delaware
State. #0-53. It wouldn't be farfetched to
suggest that Coppin State may be the best
black college team in the country . During
the regular season, coach l:ang Mitchell's
Coppin State squad held MEAC oppo
nents to 70 points or less in all but one
game.
This season. Coppin State played its
best basketball since winning the MEAC
title in 1990. Stephen Stewart scored 24
points to spark the title victory over
Delaware State, but through most of the
season Coppin State excelled without hav
mg anyone player carry the club. V
Stewart played fine, all-around bas
ketball all season. Kyle Locke has some
big games, and Tariq Saunders provide to
be one of the MEAC's top 3-pointers.
Mitchell brought all the talents together to
form the best team in the conference.
"We try to get a lot of balanced scor
ing with bur team. "Mitchell said. "It's
been success this far, so why mess with
success?"
Coppin won the MEAC with tena
cious defense and great 3-point shooting.
In one regular-season game, against Flori
da A&M, the Eagles unleashed a barrage
of 3-pointers. "We average about seven 3
pointers a game" Mitchell aid. "If you give
them to us. we ll make them:"
Later. Coppin reeled off an 1 8-0 rally
that included two 3-pointers by Marcus
Robinson. The Eagles led. 75-46, with
2:43 left.
Coppin State, which held the Hornets
( 13-lh) to 27 percent field goal shooting
left no opportunity for them to pull off an
upset. The Eagles were outstanding in
every phase of the game, including free
throw shooting. Stewart" was S of 5 from
the line to lead four Coppin players with
perfect free-throw s'hooting. The Eagles
were 22 of 25. Here are the complete
results of the ME AC Tournament:
MEAC Tournament Results
First round:
Howard 86, Bethune-Cookman 72.
Quarter finals:
Coppin State 54, Howard 57
Florida A&M 90, Morgan State 87
Delaware State 88, vs
North Carolina A&T 79
South Carolina State 59, vs
Maryland-Eastern Shore 57
Semi finals:
Coppin State 8 1 , Florida A&M 69
Delaware State 75,
South Carolina State 64
Final
Coppin State 80, Delaware State 53.
Coppin State's Michael Thomas , 40, lays one in during the ME AC
Championship game while Del, State players are caught watching.
Commissioner Ken Free , Coca
Cola USA Richard Franklin ,
Delaware State's Andrew Miles ,
H. Sabree, Coppin's Sidney Good
many Steven Stuart ( Tournament
most valuable player , Michael
Thomas , Dr. Henry Thomas
(ME AC President) and Coca Cola
Norfolk's Art J arrett.