James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III scored 27 of his career-high 39 points in the second half, including the game-winning three pointer with three seconds remaining to give Howard a dramatic, 79-77 win over the College of William and Mary in a non-conference men's game at Burr Gymnasium.  The Bison have now won four in a row.
           
William and Mary held the lead at 77-73 with 25 seconds left.  On the Bison's possession, Damon Collins buried a three pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 77-76 with 11 ticks on the clock.  William and Mary would then miss two free throws at the other end, setting up Daniel's dramatic game-winning shot.  The 5-11 junior guard from Hampton, VA calmly brought up the court and after waving off Coach Kevin Nickelberry's call for a timeout, the sharpshooting Daniel let it fly from the middle of the court and it hit nothing but net.  The Tribe came down but failed to get off a good shot and the Bison celebrated the huge come-from-behind win.
           
"That is the same spot where I hit in last year's game against Norfolk State," said Daniel,, who was 13 of 15 from the free throw line and has now scored 30 or more points in four of the six games.  "We were able to come back because we did a better job pushing the ball in transition and not allow them to set up their half-court defense."
           
Added Nickelberry.  "That was huge shot.  I tried to call a timeout, but he waved me off and he delivered.  That is the type of confidence he has."
           
The Bison (4-2), trailed by 19 at the half and appeared out of it against the Tribe (4-2).  William and Mary came out and continued its cushion until Daniel and Collins combined to help the Bison cut into the margin.  Howard went on a 21-7 run to get to within 62-56 at the 5:56 mark.  Daniel and Collins collaborated for 18 of the 21 points.
           
Collins, who scored 13 of his 14 points in the second half, found openings in the Tribe defense and was able to get good looks.
           
"Now that JT (James Miller) is out, I know that I need to be more of a threat," said Collins, who logged almost 40 minutes and added six rebounds and three steals.  "I am getting more and more comfortable coming off ball screens and getting looks."  Collins averaged five points per game last season, but he has tallied 44 points in the last three games.
           
Howard played without starting guard Miller and forward Tyler Stone.  Miller, who averages almost 16 points per game, suffered a fractured right hand in the University of Central Arkansas win and will be out four to six weeks.  Stone, who plays a big part on the front line, suffered an ankle injury and was not able to go.
           
Nickelberry constantly preaches the importance of role players and their value to the team as contributors.  It was not more evident that in this victory.  Dalique Mingo, a 6-2 sophomore guard from Long Island, got more minutes than he has in his two years here at Howard.  His numbers were not eye popping, but were important in the victory.  He finished with five points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 22 minutes.
           
"Dalique's play was big tonight," said Nickelberry. "He gave us some second opportunities and his defense was better than I thought it would be.  It is an example of the resiliency of this team."
           
Solomon Mangham, normally a reserve forward, got to start in place of Stone and his play was also crucial.  The 6-7 junior from Atlanta, Ga, scored only six points but he grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, four off the offensive glass.
           
William and Mary, which has a victory over North Carolina State on its resume this season, had four players in double figures, led by reserve guard Connor Burchfield (19 points on 7 of 7 shooting), Omar Prewitt (17 points, 10 rebounds), Greg Malinowski (12 points) and David Cohn (10 points, 9 assists).  The Tribe shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, but the Bison won the battle in second chance opportunities, 21-12 and in points off turnovers, 13-8.
           
"That is the best team we have faced this year," said Nickelberry.  "We were able to make some adjustments in the second half and they did not get the same looks that they got in the first half.  We also played faster.  I told J-Byrd and Damon that they needed to be more aggressive on the offensive end and they responded.  This was a big, big win for the program."