Greensboro, NC---Charles "CJ" Williams poured in a career-high 30 points and James "JT" Miller contributed 26 to lead Howard University to a 78-63 win over North Carolina A&T in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at the Corbett Sports Center.
The Bison (5-14, 2-2 in the MEAC), who were coming off a disappointing home loss to Coppin State on Monday in which they squandered an 18-point first half lead. Part of the problem in that loss to Coppin State was the absence of Miller, who played but was ineffective due to an injury.
The 6-4 red-shirt junior guard showed no ill effects of the injury as he tallied 13 of his points in the first 20 minutes, giving Howard a 35-28 lead at halftime.
"I was really pleased with the way JT played today," said Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "The thing is that he played well at both ends of the floor and showed great leadership."
Equally important to the Bison's early success was the game plan execution on defense. Howard limited the Aggies' top player, Sam Hunt to only five points, which proved to be a key.
"The game plan was to limit his touches and not let him get going," noted Nickelberry. "When he gets going, that is when they are in games. We did a good job of following the scouting report." Hunt finished with 10 points.
Williams made sure that North Carolina A&T would not get back in the game. The 6-5 sharpshooting freshman guard from Richmond, VA, scored 22 of his points after intermission on an array of dazzling shots that drew oohs and aahs from the NC A&T faithful. After relying mostly on his long-range shooting in the first half, Williams went to his bag of tricks and scored on pull up jumpers and explosive moves to the basket as the Aggies had no answer.
"He is a special player," said Nickelberry. "He is able to get his shot off and he shows improvement each game. He reminds a lot of J-Byrd (James Daniel, III) when he was a freshman."
While Miller and Williams made significant contributions on the offensive end, there were other seniors who played a role in the team victory. Solomon "Solo" Mangham added six points and 8 rebounds; Damon Collins' seven points, seven rebounds and five assists. And Marcel Boyd made his presence felt with six points, seven rebounds and a strong defensive presence.
"Marcel was a rim protector today," noted Nickelberry. "He made it very difficult for them to score around the basket by making them change shots and try to shoot over him."
The Bison had one of their better shooting efforts (50 percent) and they took care of the basketball (only seven turnovers).
North Carolina A&T (1-18, 0-6 in the MEAC), which dropped its 18th straight, was led by Amari Hamilton with 12 off the bench and Aaron Scales and Hunt with 10 each.
NEXT UP: Howard will be looking to extend its win streak to two when it takes on the Eagles of North Carolina Central on Monday at 7:30 pm in Durham, NC.
