Towson’s Standout Shooting Sends Coppin State Home, 65-54

By Kylie Jones, Deputy Sports Editor and Sean Daly, Contributing Writer 

Following a loss against the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins, Towson returned home to face off against a Baltimore foe in the Coppin State Eagles. After a hard-fought paint battle that required the Tigers to rely on their perimeter scoring, Towson’s shooters proved clutch down the stretch, securing the 65-54 victory. 

Zoli Khalil kicked off Tiger scoring with a mid-range jumper, but the first quarter quickly shifted into a showcase of the Tigers three-point shooting– a recurring theme for the game. Thalia Shepard knocked down the first Tiger three, with India Johnston and Tilda Sjökvist following soon after. 

Despite having some trouble against the Eagles’ half-court press, the Tigers continued to work downhill, highlighted by a Khalil floater in the paint. Off of the bench, Viki Matulevicius entered the game to knock down a three-pointer of her own. 

Kayla Morris asserted herself defensively for Towson, adding three-blocks of her own in the first quarter to limit the Eagles’ paint points. 

Matulevicius ended the first quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer that gave Towson a 20-12 lead heading into the second. 

“Coach Harper and I were talking about it, and she told me to just be more confident,” Matulevicius said. “My teammates also said ‘if they’re going under the screen, just shoot it’ and they have the utmost confidence in me.”

Matulevicius opened the second quarter just as she had closed the first, with another three-pointer to carry over the first quarter momentum. Johnston buried her second three, this time from the corner, extending the Tigers lead to 12.  

Despite the explosive start from three for the Tigers, the shots started slowing down late in the second quarter. While they ended the first half 7-14 from three, the Tigers struggled from inside the arc going 5-16. 

The Tigers were also losing the rebounding margin, 22-21, and sent the Eagles to the line five times for seven points. 

Despite this, the Tigers ended the half with positive plays, highlighted by Matulevicius collecting her own blocked shot and taking it coast-to-coast for a layup. The half ended with Towson leading 34-25.

Entering the third, the Eagles found a groove on both sides of the ball. After Shepard scored the first points of the quarter, Coppin State went on a 13-4 run, cutting the Tigers’ lead down to two. 

With the Tigers in desperate need of some offense, Matulevicius answered the call, knocking down a three to bring the lead back to two possessions. A free throw by Morris and a jumper by Khalil brought some life back to Towson’s offense, entering the fourth quarter up 46-40.

“Credit Coppin for, you know, going on their run,” Head Coach Laura Harper said. “But I think our team has been one, ready to play, and two, ready to respond out of halftime.”

It was Morris who set the defensive tone in the fourth quarter, adding her sixth block of the game to prove her dominance in the paint. 

“Kayla and I go back since her being 15-years-old, and I kinda know the ins and outs of her game,” Coach Harper said. “I know that she’s a defensive terror, and it’s hard to score around her.”

Semaya Turner added a layup, but much like the first quarter, a shooting spree would soon ensue. 

Turner knocked down the first three-pointer, and Sjökvist followed with one of her own. Then, after a steal from Turner, Sjökvist completed a three-point play on a fouled driving layup. 

Now trailing by 12, Coppin was forced to turn up the heat, shifting into a full court press in an effort to disrupt the Tigers rhythm. They used a small-ball lineup in an attempt to force turnovers quickly with what limited time they had left.

Khalil didn’t let the press stop her, however, as she worked downhill and got fouled on a made drive. Khalil knocked down the free throw to complete the three-point play. 

After Coppin made a last-ditch attempt to foul, Towson sealed the win with a made free throw from Sjökvist which ended the game, 65-54. 

“I think every single game, you look at this Towson Tigers team, and someone else steps up ready to play,” said Harper. “I credit that just to our diversity, our selflessness, and our team first approach.”

Leaders for Towson include Sjökvist with 15 points and eight rebounds, Matulevicius with 14 points, two rebounds and a block, and Khalil with 11 points, six rebounds and two steals. Morris held down the defensive end with nine rebounds, six blocks and three steals. 

The Tigers will have the week to rest before facing off against the UMBC Retrievers at UMBC on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 5 p.m.