Coppin State 6-7 lefty forward Tyree Corbett has won three straight Mid Eastern Athletic Conference defensive player of the week honors. He’s well on his way to his fourth straight award after his performance at the Eagles’ MEAC opener at SC State Saturday.
Corbett had game-highs of 23 points and 22 rebounds as Coppin State downed the Bulldogs 74-65 at Smith-Hammonds Arena in Orangeburg, S.C. He added two assists and three blocks. Three other Eagles scored in double-digits as Kyle Cardaci and Daniel Titus had 14 points while Nendah Tarke added 13.
SC State (7-9, 0-1) was led by 21 points from freshman guard TJ Madlock and 14 from fellow guard Cameron Jones. Madlock also led the Bulldogs with nine rebounds and four assists.
Corbett continues his dominance
Corbett, who leads the MEAC in rebounding (8.8 rpg.) and field goal percentage (.459), shot 9 of 15 from the field. He made 1 of his five 3-point attempts. He’s averaging 14.3 points per game.
The win for the Eagles (2-14, 1-0 MEAC) in their first MEAC game of the season comes after they’ve struggled to a 1-14 mark in non-conference play. CSU head coach Juan Dixon had said that the rough non-conference schedule would bode well for the Eagles once conference play began.
Coppin State all the way
The Eagles did not trail in the game.
They jumped out to an early lead and led 40-31 at halftime. The second half opened with a 12-2 Eagles run capped by a Corbett 3-pointer with 14:14 left to go up by 19 at 52-33. SCSU first cut the lead to single-digits at 55-47 on two Madlock free throws with just under ten minutes left. The closest the Bulldogs got was to within six at two times, 67-61 at the 3:02 mark and 69-63 with 1:49 left.
COVID-19 pauses
The SCSU/NCCU match up Saturday is the only MEAC game to be played so far. Morgan State’s date at NC Central Saturday was postponed because of health and safety protocols involving the NCCU team. Sixteen (16) of the last 18 games involving MEAC men’s teams since Dec. 23 have been postponed or cancelled because of COVID-19 issues.
Coppin State’s game Monday (Jan. 10) at NC Central has been postponed. Morgan State is scheduled to play at South Carolina State Monday.