Box Score Baltimore, Md. (November 11, 2022)---Mount St. Mary's fell in a spirited affair at Coppin State, 83-78, on Friday night at the Physical Education Complex Arena.  Jalen Benjamin paced the Mount with 23 points while Dakota Leffew added a career high 17 in the game. In a game that saw the biggest lead by either team at seven points, Coppin State made the final run to escape with the five-point victory.

Trailing 71-65, the Mount's Josh Reaves connected on back-to-back three-pointers to tie the score at 71-71 with 2:41 remaining.  Coppin State answered with a Justin Steers post move and a Justin Wilson bucket for a 75-71 lead with 1:33 left.
The Mount cut the deficit to two on a Malik Jefferson basket, but Winston answered on the other end to make it 77-73.  Benjamin hit a pair of free throws with 40 seconds on the clock, but Winston again answered, this time a dunk to make it 79-75.  Benjamin hit 1-of-2 at the line to make it 79-76, but Coppin State's Steers and Sam Sessoms each hit 1-of-2 at the line to make it 81-76.

Benjamin finished the game 8-of-21 from the field for his 23 points while Leffew hit four three-pointers en route to his career high 17.  George Tinsley stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.  Frantisek Barton made his second collegiate start, notching a career high nine points while adding six boards with Jefferson tallying six points and 11 rebounds in the game.  Reaves, making his first appearance of the season, added eight points.

Sessoms led all scorers with 28 points while adding five rebounds and five assists with Steers chipping in a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Nendah Tarke finished with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in the win.

Mount St. Mary's started with the early lead on buckets from Barton and Tinsley.  The Eagles responded with a 12-to-2 surge to take a six-point lead.  Leffew began to catch fire with a pair of three-pointers that helped the Mount even the score at 14-14, and two more Leffew triples pushed the Mount ahead, 24-20, with eight minutes left in the half.

The Eagles answered with a 7-0 run, but a Benjamin three-pointer evened the score again at 27-27.   With the score even at 29-29, Coppin State's Tarke hit a three and Blue added a bucket off a steal for a 34-29 lead before a Benjamin three-pointer cut the Mount's deficit to 34-32 at the half.

Leffew hit 4-of-6 from three-point range to share first-half scoring honors with Benjamin with 12 points each.  Tinsley added four points and five boards in the half with Barton chipping in four points and four rebounds.  Blue and Tarke each had eight points to pace Coppin State in the half.  The Mount shot 13-of-33 (.394) from the field and 6-of-14 (.429) from three-point range in the half while Coppin State was 14-of-30 (.467) from the field and 5-of-10 (.500) from beyond the arc.

The Mount returns to action on Tuesday, November 15, for the home opener against McDaniel.  Tip-off at Knott Arena will be 7:00 p.m.

NOTES:  That was the Mount's first loss to Coppin State in eight all-time meetings…This was just the second meeting between the two teams in Baltimore…The Mount defeated Coppin State, 69-60, in the NCAA Opening Round game in 2008.