Coppin State falls in MEAC tourney opener

UMES wins

Whitney Wiley hit two key baskets down the stretch, helping eighth-seeded South Carolina State (12-18) to a 54-49 victory over ninth-seeded Coppin State (10-19) in the opening round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C. After the Eagles trimmed a 12-point deficit to one, Wiley hit a jumper in the lane for a 50-47 lead with 46 seconds left. Jeanine Manley, who led Coppin State with 17 points, made a layup with 34 seconds to play, but Wiley connected on a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining to make it 53-49. "We got back into the game with defensive pressure, Eagles coach Derek Brown said. "We just ran out of time."

MORE MEAC: Casey Morton scored 19 points, including 13 in the second half, to push seventh-seeded UMES to a 52-45 victory over 10th-seeded Delaware State. The Hawks will play second-seeded Hampton today at 10 a.m.