Amherst, MA---James "J-Byrd Daniel, III poured in a game-high 30 points and James "JT" Miller added 27 but it was not enough to hold off a second half rally as the University of Massachusetts held off Howard University 85-79 in the Men Who Speak Up tournament at the Mullins Center.

The Bison (0-1) took at 47-38 lead at halftime and extended it to 14 before the Minutemen made their move down the stretch.  Howard shot 50 percent from the field and was a perfect 8 for 8 in the first 20 minutes.

After UMass (1-0) tied the game at 77, the Minutemen went on an 8-2 run to close out the game.  Most of the damage was done by Jabarie Hinds and Trey Davis who combined for 25 second half points and Seth Berger, who came off the bench to score 10.

The Bison still had chances, but some missed free throws down the stretch proved to be the difference.

"I'm very proud of these guys today," said Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry "We went on the road in a very tough atmosphere and had the lead in the game for probably 37 of the 40 minutes played. We have to close.  We weren't able to overcome the huge disparity in foul shots (44 to 22) which ultimately put is in foul trouble down the stretch .  We have to close out games better by making free throws and getting defensive stops."

Daniel and Miller, both juniors, showed why they are going to be a force to be reckoned with.  The duo combined for 20 of 40 from the field and 13 of 13 from the free throw line, but the rest of the team missed six of nine, including eight in the second stanza.

"I said in the preseason that we had one of the better backcourts in the country and they showed that today," said Nickelberry.  Daniel added five assists to his totals and a career-high nine steals.

The Bison did a good job on the boards, holding a 37-31 advantage, with Marcel Boyd grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.

"Boyd was big on the glass for us to day," noted Nickelberry.  "I hate to waste these type of efforts, but the guys played hard and we will learn from it."

Damon Collins contributed seven in a losing effort, but Tyler Stone, Solomon Mangham and Miller fouled out.

UMass had five players score in double figures.  Hinds and Davis each tallied 19, Donte Clark contributed 16 and Zach Coleman and Berger added 13 and 10, respectively.  The Minutemen bench won the battle, 16-9.

NEXT UP: The Bison have a quick turnaround as they face Rutgers in New Jersey on Sunday at 1 pm.