BALTIMORE, Md. – Playing in his hometown, junior Denzel Richardson hit a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left to give the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team a 66-63 victory over Coppin State University in Baltimore.
The Colonels (7-5) had a three-point lead in the final 30 seconds before Dallas Gary scored a bucket in the lane and was fouled. His ensuing free throw tied it 63-63 with 26.3 seconds left. As the clock ticked down, EKU’s Corey Walden had the ball under the basket but couldn’t get off a clean shot. Instead, he found Richardson in the right corner for the game winner.
Walden tied his career-best with a game-high 33 points. He also had five steals, four rebounds and four assists. He made 13-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Richardson’s big shot was only his second field goal of the game. He finished with five points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The Colonels never trailed after back-to-back three-pointers by Walden and Timmy Knipp turned a 55-53 deficit into a 59-55 lead with 4:48 left in the game. Two free throws by Ja’Mill Powell with 36.4 seconds remaining appeared to give EKU a secure lead, but Gary tied it on the Eagles next possession.
The Colonels shot 42 percent from the field and committed 11 fewer turnovers. However, CSU shot 50 percent from the field and made 60 percent of its three-pointers, going 12-of-20 from deep.
Eastern’s 26 percent shooting (7-of-27) from three-point range limited the impact of 26 Coppin State turnovers. The Colonels held just a 16-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
Taariq Cephas made 5-of-6 from long range to lead CSU with 17 points. Christian Kessee had four three-pointers and 13 points.
The Eagles hit five of their first six three-point attempts to take a 17-7 lead just over five minutes into the game. Coppin State (1-13) was held to 11 points the rest of the half.
The Colonels answered with a 10-0 run of their own, holding the home team scoreless for almost four minutes. Eric Stutz got it started with a free throw and then Walden scored nine straight. The final three points came off a Walden three pointer that bounced straight up off the rim and then fell through to tie the game 17-17 with 11:49 on the clock.
Coppin State’s last points of the first half came with 4:22 left to play. EKU scored the final five, including an old-fashioned three-point play by Walden with 3.5 seconds remaining, to take a 31-28 lead at the break.
Nine of Eastern’s 11 field goals in the first half were lay-ups as the Colonels made 9-of-12 from inside the arc. EKU was 2-of-15 from behind the three-point line. CSU made 6-of-8 from outside the arc.
The Colonels will play at home on Saturday. EKU will face South Carolina State in its final regular season non-conference game. Tip-off at McBrayer Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
NOTES
With 33 points, Corey Walden moved from 26th to 21st on Eastern Kentucky’s all-time scoring list.
Corey Walden also scored 33 points on Nov. 26 at Southern Utah.
Eastern and Coppin State began the day ninth and 10th respectively in the nation in three-pointers per game. EKU averaged 9.64 while the Eagles averaged 9.62 treys per game. CSU made 12 on Tuesday while the Colonels finished with seven.
Eastern Kentucky entered the game second in the nation in turnover margin (+10.9) and third in steals per game (11.5 spg). EKU committed 11 fewer turnovers and had 13 steals.
Coppin State entered the game 339th out of 355 teams in field goal percentage (36.6 percent) and 252nd in three-point shooting (31.8 percent). On Tuesday the Eagles blistered the nets to the tune of 50 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range.
Coppin State’s Sterling Smith was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording 47 points, 22 rebounds, nine assists, nine steals and two blocks combined against Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Evansville last week. He finished with 10 points, five rebounds, only one steal and seven turnovers against EKU.
Eric Stutz is now 23 points away from becoming the 13th player in Eastern Kentucky to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds.
Corey Walden now needs 47 more steals to break the EKU career record of 221.
This was the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
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