Box Score Washington, DC—James "J-Bird" Daniel poured in 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, but it was not enough to offset the bench scoring of Norfolk State as the Spartans rallied from a halftime deficit to pull away to a 66-60 win over Howard in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at Burr Gymnasium.
Norfolk State (16-11, 10-3 in the MEAC) used the scoring of its all-conference senior guard Pendarvis Williams, who scored nine of his 12 points after intermissions and the Spartan reserves, who combined for 18 second half points.
After Howard (6-22, 4-9 in the MEAC) fell behind by 11 at the 5:29 mark, Daniel rallied his team by scoring 13 straight points during a two-minute span to narrow the deficit to 62-60 with 2:32 remaining.
But the experienced Spartans closed the door by scoring six points down the stretch and holding Howard scoreless.
"They made some adjustments in the second half by going small," said Howard Coach Kevin Nickelberry. "By the time we were able to make the necessary adjustments, were in a hole. We did a good job of getting back in it. But in the last three minutes, they did as a veteran team does: they made all the right plays and we did not."
Riley May led the Spartans with 14 off the bench, Anell Alexis added 13 in a reserve capacity, Williams finished with 12 and Kievyn Lila-St. Rose scored 10. Free throw shooting played a huge role in the outcome. After missing 8 of 12 from the charity stripe in the first stanza, the Spartans did a 360, connecting on 15 of 19 (79 percent) while the Bison went three for nine.
"The free throw shooting was huge," said Nickelberry. "They were able to get to the foul line early in the second half and it helped them climb back in the game. They shot 31 free throws for the game and we attempted only 12. That was a deciding factor."
Daniel, the leading freshman scorer in Division 1, finished with 20, two under his average while Prince Okoroh and James Miller, contributed 13 and 10, respectively.
The Bison maintained a 32-24 halftime lead despite leading scorer Daniel getting only one basket in 13 minutes of play. He picked up his second personal foul early and had to sit much of the half.
The slack was picked up by Okoroh, who came out of his recent slump by tallying a team-high 11 and Miller, who contributed seven.
The Spartans aided the Bison's cause by committing nine turnovers that Howard converted into 11 points. They also missed eight of 12 free throw attempts.
NEXT UP: After dropping two games by a total nine points to two of the top teams in the conference, the Bison go on the road for a Saturday contest in Dover, DE against the Hornets of Delaware State, who are one of the hottest teams in the MEAC.
