BALTIMORE, Md.- Savannah State opened the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference portion of their season with a 73-67 setback to Coppin State, before a crowd of 317 at PEC Arena.

A tip-in by SSU's Romani Hansen tied the game at 64 with 1:35 left but Coppin State out-scored the Tigers 9-3 down the stretch to capture their first win of the season.

Savannah State (3-12, 0-1 MEAC) jumped out to a 11-4 advantage but CSU used a 21-2 run to go ahead 25-13 with just under six minutes remaining in the first half.

Down by a dozen, SSU finished the period  with a 9-3 spurt, getting points from Zach Sellers (2), Hansen (1), Zaquavian Smith (1) and Tyrell Harper (5).

Coppin State led 28-22 at intermission.

The Tigers were able to whittle their deficit to two in the second half but 16-2 run by Coppin State gave the Eagles a 53-41 edge with 8:39 left.

SSU trailed by seven with 3:54 left but a 9-2 run allowed them to tie the game at 64 with 95 seconds left.

Harper led Savannah State with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Jaquan Dotson added 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists while Hansen chipped in 12 points before fouling out.

The Tigers, who have lost eight straight, shot 30.1 percent from the field and 60 percent from the free throw line. SSU made just 16.7 percent of their 3-point attempts.

Coppin State (1-15, 1-0 MEAC) was led by Dejuan Clayton's 23 points.

The Eagles, who held a 48-44 rebounding edge, shot 41.8 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from beyond the arc and 76.9 percent from the free throw line.


TIP INS:
 
* Zach Sellers extended his streak of scoring at least two points in a game to 46 games
 
* The Tigers limited Coppin State to just eight offensive rebounds

* SSU will continue their 12 game road stretch at Morgan State on January 7
 
* Jaquan Dotson has scored in double figures 12 times this season and during the past seven games
 
* Both teams scored 45 points in the second half