Day two of the 2026 MEAC Basketball Tournament has ended, and the Coppin State women’s basketball team, Norfolk State women’s basketball team, South Carolina State men’s basketball team, and North Carolina Central men’s basketball team have advanced to the semifinals.
Read the recap of the Lady Spartans quarterfinal game here: https://spartanecho.org/2026/03/12/lady-spartans-advance-to-meac-tournament-semifinals/
Women: Coppin State Eagles vs. North Carolina Central Eagles
It was an Eagles showdown, and Coppin State (#4) came out on top in a blowout win against North Carolina Central (#5) 70-52.
“Definitely proud of the fight of my team,” said Coppin State’s Head Coach Darrell Mosley. “Proud of the win, proud of us to be able to pull it out, and we got to get ready for a tough game tomorrow against Howard.”
Coppin won the jump ball, but Central scored the first basket of the game with a mid-range jumper. The teams were tied at 6 for two-minutes, then Coppin got an and-one layup, which started their 7-0 scoring run, finishing the first quarter with a five-point lead 14-9.
Coming into the second quarter, Coppin was aggressive and extended their lead to 10 within the first two minutes. After they went on a 8-2 scoring run to lead by 12, Central went on their own 10-2 scoring run, ending the half in a four-point game 29-25.
While Coppin’s field goal percentage stayed consistent in the third quarter, Central didn’t get their first field goal shot until there were two minutes left. Picking up on their opponent’s free throw hack, Coppin made 11 free throws to help advance their lead and end the third quarter 48-36.
Central grabbed the first basket of the final quarter and later got a shot from a flagrant one foul on Coppin. Coppin reached their largest lead of the game of 21-points with a minute left of the match, but Central got the last shot with a three-pointer to end the game 18 points behind 70-52.
“Tough loss, definitely tough loss in the conference,” said North Carolina Central Head Coach Terrence Baxter. “They swept us during the year, but thought we played hard, thought we played well. The thorn in our side showed up, and it’s been a thorn in our side all year.”
Coppin guard Khila Morris was named “Player of the Game” and finished with 17 points and three steals. Central forward Morgan Callahan lead her team with 17 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Coppin State will be back at the Norfolk Scope Arena to play the Howard University Bison for the first game of the semifinals on Friday, March 13th at 12p.m.
Men: University of Maryland Eastern Shore vs. North Carolina Central Eagles
For the last game of the quarterfinals, the North Carolina Central Eagles snagged the final spot in the semifinals after battling in an overtime win against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks 83-76.
“MEAC basketball, right? It’s that time of year man, and I’ve been in a lot of these games,” said Eagles Head Coach LeVelle Moton. “We didn’t start the game off well. We didn’t finish the game off well – we made Significant plays at significant times down the stretch.”
Hawks went on a 10-0 scoring run and later grabbed a 15-point lead, their largest of the game. Initially, the Eagles struggled to counter their opponent with a field goal percentage of 16.7% and only made one of their 6 shots attempted.
Within the last minute of the half, the Eagles closed the gap to trailing behind only four points, including a steaming dunk and a three-point play with an and-one layup. The Hawks drew a foul with less than a second left on the clock, knocking both shots in and ended the half in the lead 40-34.
Starting the second half, the Eagles took their first lead of the game with a 6-0 scoring run. Feeling the pressure, the Hawks fought back. The teams tied twice and had nine lead changes.
Going on a 10-2 scoring run the Eagles secured a seven-point lead, and later reached their largest lead of 10 points, but it didn’t last long. The Hawks fought their way back into the game during the last six minutes and made a buzzer-beating three-pointer to tie 74-74, sending the game into overtime.
Dominating in overtime, the Eagles only allowed the Hawks to make one layup, scoring 9-2 and winning the game 83-76.
“We kind of got ahead of ourselves with momentum. You get up 20-6, you want to kind of blow the door open, and in tournament play, it just doesn’t work like that,” said Hawks Head Coach Cleo Hill Jr. “We told the guys before the game, if you’re up by 20, don’t relax, and if you’re down by 20, don’t panic – (we) made some careless mistakes, and they got back in the basketball game.”
Eagles guard Dionte Johnson was named “Player of the Game” and finished with 26 points, three assists, and two steals. Hawks guard/forward Zion Obanla led the team with 21 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
The Eagles will play the Delaware State Hornets for a championship game spot on Friday, March 13th at 8p.m. at the Norfolk Scope Arena.
Read the Spartan men’s quarterfinal recap here: https://spartanecho.org/2026/03/12/spartans-knocked-out-of-meac-tournament-in-quarterfinals/
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