Coppin State Defeats Bethune-Cookman 90-79 In OT

Gallo, who was 0-for-5 shooting during regulation, outscored the Wildcats 7-1 in the first 2 minutes of the extra period, and the Eagles added to that margin the rest of the way.

Coppin State (11-10, 6-3) has won five of its last six games and seven of its last 10.

Bethune-Cookman (13-10, 7-2) came in having won eight of its last nine.

C.J. Reed scored a career-high 34 points for the Wildcats, hitting six 3-pointers, including one that sent the game into overtime. He also had 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

Akeem Ellis scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Eagles, with Jordan Lee adding 20 points, Michael Harper 17 and Vince Goldsberry 10.

Reed registered his ninth game scoring 20 points or more. Stanley Elliott added 14 points for Bethune-Cookman and Kevin Dukes had 10.

Leading by one point at the half, the Eagles used an 8-4 run in the first 3 minutes of the second half to go up by five, 43-38. But the Wildcats used two baskets each by Albert Abrahams and Elliott to tie it at 48 with 13:02 left.

The game was to-and-fro the rest of the way. Coppin State expanded a one-point lead to three, 71-68, on Harper's tip-in with 1:40 left in regulation. But Reed nailed a 3-pointer with 34.9 seconds left, eventually forcing overtime.

Coppin State pushed to a 7-2 advantage in the game's first 5 minutes, with Goldsberry nailing two baskets.

Bethune-Cookman began to warm up behind Reed, who nailed four straight 3-pointers. His hot streak, which led to 20 first-half points, enabled the Wildcats to go up by 10 points, 26-16, with 9:22 to before halftime.

But the Eagles, led by Lee and Ellis, fought back. They pulled within four points, 32-28, with 4:58 left in the first half. Coppin State trailed 36-30 at the 2:27 mark before scoring the final seven points of the half — five by Ellis — for a 37-36 edge at the break.