It took 18 games and nearly two months, but the men at Coppin State are finally in the win column.
And a Maryland Terrapins legend finally has his first victory with the program.
Juan Dixon, Coppin State Head Coach: "It's a great win. I never thought winning a basketball game I would get so emotional," said Coppin State Head Coach Juan Dixon.
It was a long time coming. A little too long for Dixon.
"We had a huge gorilla on our backs. We went out and we competed. We never lost hope," he said.
Win number one for the first year head coach came on Monday. A 79-78 double overtime victory over Florida A&M. He said the postgame locker room was something special.
"We were ecstatic," said Dixon. "Got emotional. Great energy. A lot of hugs. A lot of high fives."
"Post game everybody was smiling," laughed Coppin forward Chad Andrews-Fulton. "First win of the year. All good vibes. It was just a great feeling."
Andrews-Fulton hit the game-winning layup Monday with 12 seconds to go. Their record says the Eagles at 1-17, but he says that doesn't tell the whole story of this team.
"We honestly just needed to get over that hump, the losing streak. We got over that. Now we know what it takes to win," said Andrews-Fulton.
Next up Coppin visits North Carolina Central on Saturday. They head into the matchup, and the rest of their conference schedule, with a newfound confidence.
"We learned how to win the other night. There's only one team that can go to the NCAA (Tournament) in the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference). Our goal is to be playing our best basketball come March," said Dixon.
The game Coppin really wants to win isn't this Saturday, it's next Saturday. That's when the Eagles get their first crack at rival Morgan State. They host the Bears on January 20.
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