NORFOLK,  Va. – Comebacks don't leave much of a margin for error. Bethune-Cookman's rally fell short Tuesday night as Coppin State defeated the Wildcats 64-60 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament opening round.

The Eagles (8-22) advance to Wednesday's quarterfinal against top seed North Carolina Central at 6 p.m. Bethune-Cookman's season concluded at 11-21.

Ricky Johnson scored a game-high 21 points, Denzel Dulin a career-high 16 and Quintin Brewer a spirited 11-point run in the second half that got the Wildcats within 55-53 with 4:39 to play.

Coppin State went up four, then forced a Wildcat turnover. On the Eagle possession with the shot clock running down, Daquan Brickhouse drained a three-pointer after a loose ball scramble that put the Eagles up seven…and symbolized the night. The Eagles maintained the lead with a couple of second chance baskets.

“We played hard, but a couple of bad turnovers and a couple of rebounds were the difference,” said B-CU Head Coach Gravelle Craig. “You have to make those plays during tournament time.”

Johnson got the Wildcats within 62-60 on a lay-up with two second left, but Brickhouse sank two free throws to preserve the victory.

The Wildcats controlled the tempo, outshot the Eagles 39.2 percent to 37.7 percent and outrebounded them 37-31, but 14 Bethune-Cookman turnovers were the key stat.

Coppin State outscored Bethune-Cookman 19-6 off turnovers, and several other timely turnovers slowed the Wildcat offense.   

“We played at our own tempo,” Johnson said. “A few turnovers and rebounds just didn't go our way.”

Dulin had 10 early points, but Bethune-Cookman spent the game playing from behind after early leads of 2-0 and 5-3.

Two Johnson free throws with 6:53 left in the half tied the game for the seventh time at 17-17.Coppin State answered with a 10-2 run, taking a 27-19 lead at the 1:48 mark after a layup from Fripp. The Eagles led 29-23 at the break.

Coppin State led by as many as nine, 45-36, in the second half, but a 7-2 Wildcat run cut the lead to 46-43 after two Johnson free throws.

Dulin and Brewer each had seven rebounds as well as four and three blocked shots, respectively.

“The whole year we were consistently inconsistent,” Craig said. “That's why we never won more than two games in a row. The good thing is I got these guys [Dulin and Johnson] coming back and a couple of transfers sitting out, ready to come in. We should be a lot better next year.”

NOTES: This was B-CU's eighth loss by five points or less; Since 2009, Bethune-Cookman is 27-36 in close games ... B-CU was 2-15  after recording 15 or fewer free throws ... B-CU was 3-16 when shooting under 40 percent ... The Wildcats set a season high with seven blocks ... Johnson led the team in scoring in 10 out of 32 games; this was his eighth 20-point game and 14th straight double-digit point games.