NORFOLK, Va. – Coppin State earned a weekend sweep of the Norfolk State men's basketball team on Sunday afternoon with an 81-77 victory at the Physical Education Complex Arena.
 
NSU lost its second straight despite holding the early lead in the game and overcoming a 15-point deficit early in the second half. The Spartans rallied to take a short-lived lead with nine minutes in the game but could not hold on. Coppin State never led by more than five the rest of the way.
 
The Spartans came up on the short end of the score despite committing just six turnovers all day. They shot 40 percent from the floor, with senior Devante Carter tallying a team-high 15 points as one of four players in double figures. They fell to 3-3 in the MEAC Northern Division and 8-6 overall.
 
The Eagles made 12 3-pointers and shot 53 percent for the game as only seven players saw time on the court. They improved to 5-1 in the league and 6-9 overall. Dejuan Clayton led all players with 22 points and nine assists.
 
For almost all of the first 12 minutes of the game, the Spartans did not trail. They were up 13-5 early on after a 3-pointer from sophomore Tyrese Jenkins and two free throws from Carter. Yuat Alok gave the Eagles their own short-lived lead eight and a half minutes into the game, but the Spartans eventually went up by five after a trey from junior Jalen Hawkins.
 
It was still tied after senior Kyonze Chavis sank one from beyond the arc, but from there it was all Coppin State to close out the half. The Eagles closed the period on a 19-6 run that spanned six and a half minutes.
 
Up 50-37 at the half, CSU scored on the first possession of the second half and still led by 12 at 59-47 after a free throw from Koby Thomas. Senior Mustafa Lawrence had eight points as NSU scored the next 13 points in the game. Sophomore Daryl Anderson's 3-pointer put the Spartans ahead 60-59 at the end of the run with 9:13 on the clock.
 
Clayton's 3-point play put the Eagles back on top, but NSU junior Chris Ford had his own 3-point play and a dunk to tie the score at 67-67 with 5:09 to go. It was just a one-point game two minutes later after two free throws from junior Joe Bryant Jr. and another field goal from Anderson.
 
NSU's last best chance came with less than 10 seconds to go when Lawrence made 2-of-3 free throws to make it a two-point ballgame. But Clayton made two of his own on the other end of the floor as the Spartans ran out of time.
 
Lawrence ended the day with 10 points, and both Anderson and senior Kyonze Chavis each scored 11. Hawkins nearly joined them with nine points, and Ford finished with eight points and a career-high tying nine rebounds. NSU held a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass.
 
Alok totaled 18 points and eight rebounds for CSU, and Anthony Tarke tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
 
The Spartans will look to rebound next weekend when they host Delaware State for a weekend MEAC series. Both games will start at approximately 4:30 p.m. as part of doubleheaders with the NSU women's team.