Hampton, VA—Hampton scored six of its points in overtime to pull out a hard-fought 73-69 win over Howard in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at the HU Convocation Center that had a tournament flavor to it.
 
After Reggie Johnson converted two free throws to tie the game at 64 with nine seconds remaining, the Bison had their chances, missing three shots at point blank range.  The Pirates were unable to get a shot off and the game went into an extra period.
                 
"We had our chances, but just could not capitalize," said Howard Coach Kevin Nickelberry.  "These last two games we have not been able to get over the hump.  It's interesting that we had talked in the pregame about having a chance with a minute to play. It came down to them making the plays when they had to."
                 
Both teams appeared to be tight in the overtime until Johnson broke the ice with a long three pointer that gave his team a 67-64 lead with 1:01 remaining.
                 
From there, Brian Darden knocked down four straight free throws to give Hampton some breathing room at 71-67 with 27 ticks still left on the clock.
                 
Hampton's Quinton Chievous later hit on two of four free throws sandwiched around a Carlton dunk to close out the scoring. 
                 
The Bison (12-12, 6-4 MEAC) were hurt early when James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III, the team's leading scorer, picked up two early fouls and had to sit for almost 16 minutes of the first half.  The sophomore guard from nearby Phoebus High School, missed 11 of 13 shots to finish with nine points, 8 under his average.  It was only the fourth time that he failed to reach double figures in his career.
                 
Despite the loss of Daniel, Howard got the most production from its bench all season, outscoring the hosts, 26-10.  Oliver Ellison (10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocked shots), Jared Norsworthy (8 points), Tyler Stone (4 points) and Keon Hill (4k6 points) all made unexpected but important contributions.
                 
"That's the thing that I like about this team" said Nickelberry.  "It doesn't matter who is out there.  They are for each other.  With us in foul trouble, the bench came up big for us tonight.
                 
Statistically, the Bison held a huge edge, winning the points in the paint battle, 34-18, the points off turnovers, 23-11 and bench points, 26-10.
                 
But in the end, it came down to missed opportunities.
                 
One things about this team is that they are resilient," he said. "They never panicked and I m confident that we will find a way to correct this."
                 
Carlton led all scorers with 24 while also grabbing eight rebounds and blocking three shots.  James "JT" Miller chipped in with 10 and six rebounds for the Bison.
                 
Deron Powers and Darden each tallied 18 while Johnson contributed 15.
 
NEXT UP" The Bison will try to end their two-game skid when they travel to Baltimore on Saturday to take on the Eagles of Coppin State at 4 pm.