Princess Anne, MD---- Charles "CJ" Williams scored a team-high 17 points and James "JT" Miller added 16 but it was contributions from some unusual suspects down the stretch that allowed Howard University to hold off a furious late rally and down Maryland Eastern Shore, 74-66 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center. The win snapped a five-game losing skid for the Bison (4-13, 1-1 in the MEAC) and put them right back in the race.
Williams, the 6-5 freshman guard from Richmond, VA and strong candidate for MEAC Rookie of the Year, led the way in the first 20 minutes on 4 of 8 shooting from the field, 3 of 4 from the three-point arc. Howard led 35-24 at the half and set the tone for the game.
The Bison used the momentum to get a push in the second half on the play of Miller, who tallied 10 of his points after intermission and enabled the Bison to take a 48-30 lead at the 15:44 mark.
That is when the Hawks (4-14, 1-2 in the MEAC) made their move and rallied on the scoring of Logan McIntosh and Bakari Copeland, who combined for 27 points and combined to cut the Bison deficit to 64-60 with a little less than four minutes remaining in the regulation.
Howard refused to wilt however, and that is when seniors Tyler Stone, Kofi Andoh and Solomon "Solo" Mangham made veteran plays down the stretch to keep the hard-charging Hawks at bay and secure the win.
It was Mangham with some tough defensive rebounds, Andoh drawing fouls on strong drives to the basket and Stone with some clutch free throw shooting (4 of 4) and a key assist to Damon Collins that helped slam the door on UMES's comeback attempt.
"I am so proud of these young men and their effort today," said a calm Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry. " You had CJ (Williams) and JT (Miller) getting us going early, but what can I say about the contributions of Tyler, Kofi and Chuck Smith. They weren't in there with empty minutes. They played with purpose."
Smith, a senior guard who missed the first part of the season, got the most minutes of his time at Howard. Because of the injuries at the point guard position, Smith was thrust into the situation and he made the most of the opportunity: he made his only shot and free throw, collected a rebound and handed out a key assist in 11 minutes of play.
But as important as the collective play on offense, it was arguably the defensive game plan that was crucial. Ryan Andino, the Hawks sharp-shooting guard who ranks among the nation's best in three-point shooting and made attempts per game, was held to three free throws. He was averaging almost 15 points per game.
"Our plan was to take Andino out of the game," explained Nickelberry. "We knew that if he was not in the flow of the game and hitting threes, we could disrupt their offense. This is probably only the second time this season that we have executed the game plan this well."
There were other positives that can be taken from the victory for the Bison. Mangham, who has struggled of late, had one of his better all-around efforts in recent weeks. The senior forward finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 37 minutes. Marcel Boyd has also struggled, but despite foul trouble, the red-shirt senior center finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.
Collins, a 6-5 senior guard, tallied 6 of his 8 points in the second half at times when they were crucial.
"Again, I am so very proud of the effort today," said Nickelberry. "This was a team effort and we have something to build on."
NEXT UP: Howard will try to make it two in a row when it hosts Coppin State in a MEAC showdown on Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday in Burr at 4 pm.
