Coffield reaches 1,000-point plateau for career against Charleston (W. Va.)

Published in Sports on January 4, 2006 2:08 PM

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INSTITUTE, W. Va. -- Elton Coffield scored a season-high 28 points and eclipsed the career 1,000-point mark as nationally ninth-ranked Mount Olive defeated Charleston 87-80 in non-conference men's basketball Tuesday in day one of the West Virginia State University Classic at Institute, W. Va.

The Trojans won the game from the free throw line, hitting on 21-of-23 attempts, while Charleston went 18-for-39 from the line.

Mount Olive (8-1) trailed by four points early in the first half, but took the lead for good when Coffield's three-pointer gave the Trojans an 11-10 lead with 13:15 left in the half. Coffield was 6-for-10 from three-point range and 9-for-15 overall from the field. Mount Olive built the lead to as many as nine points before Charleston (6-2) rallied to pull within 32-30 with 3:23 remaining.

After a Mount Olive timeout, Elijah Rouse hit a pair of free throws and then converted a layup as the Trojans ended the half on an 11-2 run to take a 43-32 halftime lead. Charleston was 5-of-15 from the line in the first half.

The Trojans extended their lead to 14 points after Maurice Horton's layup with 18:40 remaining gave Mount Olive a 48-34 lead. The Trojans still held a 10-point lead until back-to-back three-pointers by Marquis Brooks pulled Charleston within 59-55 with 11:30 left in the game.

Coffield, who entered the contest with 981 career points, answered with a basket 30 seconds later for his 19th point of the game and his 1,000th career point. Coffield, who scored 600 points last year as a sophomore, now has 1,009 points for his career.

The game remained tight the rest of the way, as Mount Olive's lead stayed at single digits, but Charleston could never get any closer than four points.

The Trojans built the lead to as many as eight points, sparked by three-pointers by Coffield and Melvin Creddle. Charleston had a chance to make it a one-possession game with just under six minutes left, but missed a pair of three-pointers and a putback attempt on its possession and Rouse hit a short jumper on the Trojans' next possession to extend the lead to 73-67 with 5:10 remaining.

The two teams continued to trade baskets, but Mount Olive hit 10-of-11 free throws over the final two minutes to seal the win. The Trojans scored 12 of their final 14 points from the line.

Horton finished with 18 points, four assists and three steals, while Rouse notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Rouse also recorded four blocked shots. Creddle dished out a game-high six assists.

After shooting under 60 percent (20-for-34) against Concord last month, the Trojans have shot a combined 90.4 percent from the line in their last three contests, including a 15-for-15 performance in its previous game against Chowan.

Brooks led five Charleston players with 22 points, including 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Robert Strickland added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Eagles, which played only seven players.

Mount Olive concludes play at the Classic today as the Trojans take on No. 10 West Virginia State. The game marks the first time in school history Mount Olive has been a part of an all-national top 10 men's basketball match-up. Tipoff is 6 p.m.