Box Score Washington, DC—James "J-Bird" Daniel scored a game-high 23 points and Prince Okoroh added 11, but it was the contributions from some unusual suspects that proved to be the difference as Howard University defeated North Carolina A&T, 68-60 in a foul-plagued Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at Burr Gymnasium.

Daniel, who came into the game averaging 21 points per game, set the tone in the first half as he scored 15 of his points that helped the Bison (6-17, 4-4 in the MEAC) take a 31-28 lead at the half.

The Aggies (7-16, 3-5 in the MEAC) began to rotate different players on the freshman guard and it proved to be effective as he missed four his five shots.  It was then that Howard began to get contributions from some unexpected places.  Freshman forwards Tyler Stone and Solomon "Solo" Mangham and freshman guard Kofi Andoh combined to pick up the slack, scoring 20 points and 12 rebounds among them in the second stanza.

"My hat is off to North Carolina A&T," praised Howard Coach Kevin Nickelberry.  "They came in here and battled us in a physical game.  Tyler Stone did a great job for us tonight with his energy, defense and work on the boards.  Kofi is known for his defense but tonight he was aggressive on offense and was able to get to the free throw line and knock down some free throws.  Solo's (Mangham) also made an important contribution.  I was very pleased with the way they bounced back from the North Carolina Central game."

The Aggies managed to stay within striking distance due to the efforts of Lamont Middleton, who tallied 11 of his team-high 16 points in the second half.  But they missed some free throws during some crucial moments.  There were a total of 62 fouls called and 82 free throw attempts.  The Bison connected on 21 of 26 after intermission while the Aggies managed 13 of 21.

"We knew free throws win ball games and we were able to make them down the stretch when it mattered," said Nickelberry.  "It was a good win for us because at 4-4 in the league, we are back in the race."

Daniel scored only four field goals, but he converted on 14 of 16 from the charity stripe, where he shooting a team-high 83 percent.

"In a game like this, the key is to stay aggressive," said Daniel, who leads the MEAC in scoring.  "It was a physical game and we got to the free throw line and made our free throws.  Right now we are trying to get wins."

Daniel had 23, Okoroh 11, Stone nine and a career-high 11 rebounds, Mangham with 12 and Andoh seven.

Richaud Pack helped the Aggie cause with 15 points, all coming from the free throw line.
NEXT UP: NC A&T hosts Florida A&M next Saturday at 6 pm while the Bison travel to Hampton, VA to take on the rival Pirates of Hampton University on Saturday at 6 pm.