NCAA News Wire
Towson 84, Coppin State 76
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Forward John Davis recorded his fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 23 points and 14 rebounds as Towson extended its winning streak to seven games with an 84-76 victory over Coppin State on Wednesday in Towson, Md.
The Tigers (7-1) are off to their best start since becoming a Division I program in 1979. Forward Alex Gavrilovic also scored 14 points, and forward Mike Morsell added 12 for Towson, which travels to Georgetown on Sunday.
Guard Sterling Smith scored 16 points and guard Van Rolle finished with 13 for Coppin State (1-5), which plays 13 of its first 16 games on the road. Forward Dallas Gary added 12 points and guard Taariq Cephas finished with 10 for the Eagles, who were outrebounded 49-32.
Davis scored 10 points in the opening nine minutes, and Towson held a 16-15 lead midway through the first half. However, Coppin State responded, and a 3-pointer by Cephas gave the Eagles a 21-20 lead.
The Tigers then took control, and two free throws by Davis provided a 30-27 lead. Towson shot just 11 of 26 (14 percent) in the first half but still led 38-33 at the break. Coppin State stayed within striking range by shooting 7-for-15 from 3-point range.
Towson pulled away in the second half, and a 3-pointer by guard Byron Hawkins gave the Tigers a 50-39 lead with 15 minutes left. Two free throws and layup by Gavrilovic provided a 68-48 margin with seven minutes left, and the Tigers weren’t threatened again.
The Tigers shot 46.2 percent from the floor for the game, while the Eagles shot 39.1 percent.
