Morgan State men's basketball defeats Coppin State 89-80 at PEC Arena

Alfred Worrell Jr. scored 24 points and Morgan State held off Coppin State 89-80 at PEC Arena, handing the Eagles another conference loss and giving Baltimore fans a decisive city victory. Walter Peggs Jr. added 18 points and Elijah Davis contributed 15 as Morgan built a first-half cushion and withstood a second-half Coppin rally.

The game, played Jan. 31, 2026 with a 9:00 p.m. tip per the school’s recap, saw Morgan lead 45-32 at halftime before Coppin outscored the Bears 48-44 in the second half. Morgan’s halftime advantage proved decisive, leaving the final 89-80 margin despite Coppin’s stronger push after intermission.

Worrell finished 9-for-12 from the field and 9-for-11 at the free-throw line and pulled down five rebounds. Peggs shot 6-for-10 overall, drilling four 3-pointers on 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, and Davis converted 7 of 12 free throws after a 4-for-7 night from the floor to reach 15 points. Coppin’s top contributors included Demariontay Hall with 12 points, Taj Thweatt with 11 points and eight rebounds, and Camaren Sparrow with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.

Team statistics underline why Morgan closed this one out. The Bears shot .482 from the field to Coppin’s .450 and were markedly better at the stripe, hitting .711 from the free-throw line compared with .571 for the Eagles. Rebounding was even at 38 apiece, and turnovers were identical at 14 for each side, signaling an evenly contested game that turned on shooting and free throws.

Officials for the game were Aric Dickerson, Isaiah Rivers and Ian McClenny. The win improved Morgan State to 9-13 overall and 5-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, while Coppin fell to 3-20 overall and 1-5 in MEAC play. In the conference table, Maryland Eastern Shore sat at 4-1 and North Carolina Central was 3-1, with Morgan positioned among the early leaders as conference play tightens.

A note on reporting: Morgan State’s game page contains a boxscore and team stat tables showing the 89-80 result, but also carries an inconsistent headline reading “Morgan State Men’s Basketball Tops Coppin State, 85–74, for Fifth Straight Win,” which appears to be an editorial error; the boxscore and wire reports consistently show the 89-80 final. The school’s recap page also lists the next game as Maryland Eastern Shore on Feb. 7 at 4 p.m.

For Baltimore, the result keeps local bragging rights with Morgan and matters beyond a single win: improved conference positioning helps recruiting, campus energy and the PEC Arena draw for future matchups. Coppin will need to tighten late-game defense and free-throw shooting as the Eagles search for their first conference momentum.