Men's Basketball | 1/30/2015 4:28:00 PM

WASHINGTON, DC --- The Howard University men's basketball team will be looking to extend its current win streak to three when it hosts Morgan State University on Saturday, January 31 at 4 pm in Burr Gymnasium. The game has been designated as the Third Annual Prince Hall Masonic Classic, Alumni Night, Bison Express Appreciation Night and 90's Night.

The game will be webcast on WHBC (http://www.whbc963hd3.com/welcomehome), as will the remaining Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) home games. The team of Trevin Jones (play-by-play) and Michael Lindo (color commentary) will provide coverage of the action.

The Bison (10-10, 4-2 MEAC) have recorded a number of firsts and significant accomplishments this season: their 10 victories eclipses last year's win total of eight and marks only the second time that Howard has reached double digit wins in the last decade; and the 4-2 conference record is the best since the 2009-10 when the team started 4-1.

While part of the success can be attributed to the scoring efforts of the Big Three (James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III, James "JC" Carlton and James "JT" Miller), the defense has played an even bigger role.

With its full-court pressure and tenacious half court zone defense, the Bison defense is holding opponents to 37 percent shooting from the from the field and 29 percent from the arc (17th nationally).

A classic example came in the 45-42 win over Bethune Cookman this past Monday. Howard did not shoot the ball well and points were hard to come by, but it was stellar defensive effort that helped them eke out the win. With the Bison challenging every shot on every possession, Bethune Cookman missed 18 of 21 shots that they took in the second stanza.

"I'm really proud of how these guys have bought into defense and teamwork," praised Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry.  "Before we leave the huddle , we say 'Us' because no matter who we play, we want to play our game which is gritty defense, making teams take tough two pointers and contesting three pointers."

Equally important in the overall success of the defense has been the team's ability to turn the other team over and get almost eight steals per game while also blocking almost four shots per game.

Offensively, the Bison have the luxury of three players who score in double figures.  Daniel, the Preseason Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring with over 16 points per game. Miller is having his best season, averaging over 12 points. But it has been the play of Carlton of late that has everyone talking. The 6-8 senior forward from Winterville, NC, is averaging over 20 points in the last five games, including 27 of the team's 45 in the win over BCU.

"Offensively, we don't care who leads us on a particular night as long as we have a win," noted Nickelberry.  

In Morgan State (4-16, 2-4 MEAC), Howard faces a team that was picked third in the pre-season poll, but has struggled scoring the basketball, averaging under 60 points. The Bears are led by their 7-foot center Zech Smith (6.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 38 blocks) and seniors Cedric Blossom (14.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) Blake Bozeman (13.2 ppg).

Morgan State has won three in a row in the series and holds a 61-41 advantage, but the last two games at the Burr have been decided by a total of four points.

NEXT UP:  Morgan State plays Coppin State on Monday at 7 pm in a nationally televised game on ESPNU while Howard hosts surprising Maryland Eastern Shore at 7:30 pm in Burr Gymnasium.