The Bison (3-12) were hoping that an emotional overtime win over Delaware State on Sunday would provide enough momentum to go into the upcoming break on a winning note.  But things did not go as planned.  The Flames (5-6) jumped out to a 7-0 lead, allowed the Bison come back and take a brief 10-9 lead and then took advantage of the injury-depleted team to put together a 30-15 run that all but decided the contest at intermission.

"Obviously we wanted to play up tempo and press, but with the foul trouble, the injuries and fatigue setting in, we were at a disadvantage," said Howard Coach Kevin Nickelberry.  "We played an emotional game against Delaware State that took a lot out of us.  We tried to play zone, but give Liberty credit.  They are too good of a team to let us back into it once they got the lead."

Liberty shot 50 percent from the field and a sizzling 92 percent from the free throw line.  The Bison, who were playing without leading scorer James "J-Bird" Daniel for the second straight game and reserve center Oliver Ellison, got nine points from Prince Okoroh, but the other players struggled.  Freshmen Solomon "Solo" Mangham and James "JT" Miller combined for 12 points but Miller re-injured his knee and played only 17 minutes.

"Prince played 45 minutes against Delaware State and when he got his foul, it hurt us," added Nickelberry.  "Then when (Marcel) Boyd picked up his second foul, we were forced to go small without Ellison and they were able to take advantage on the boards."  Liberty out-rebounded the Bison, 40-25 and scored 15 points off second chance opportunities.

Okoroh, a 6-5 junior, had another outstanding performance, leading all scorers with 24 points  while grabbing seven rebounds.

The Flames continued to take advantage of the tired and young Bison in the second half.  Guard Davon Marshall supplied the outside scoring with 16 points, four of his field goals coming on three pointers while forward Antwan Burrus tallied most of his 16 points close to the basket and from the free throw line (6 for 6).  Tomasz Gielo contributed 11 points.

"They are a very good basketball team," said Nickelberry.  "Number 1 (Marshall) is a great shooter, Number 24 (Burrus) is very solid and Number 23 (Sanders) does a great job of running their offense."

Despite all the adversity, the Bison scrapped until the end and refused to quit, forcing 15 turnovers and picking up 11 steals.  Mangham, despite foul trouble, contributed 10 points while Miller added seven.

The Bison will now get a much-needed rest as they will not play again until December 29 when they take on the Trojans of Southern California in Los Angeles.

"We will take this time off to get some rest, spend time with their families and to heal," he said.  "This will be another one of our learning experiences as a team and I am confident we will benefit from it down the road."