Savannah, Ga—Howard University scored its last nine points from the free throw line to hold off Savannah State, 50-48 in a tightly contested Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game men's game at the Tiger Arena. The victory gives the Bison (14-13, 8-5 MEAC) their most wins in a season since 2002-03.
The contest resembled a tournament game as both teams slugged it out with a grinding style that featured empty possessions and long stretches between baskets.
Howard appeared to be in good shape when it took a 50-47 lead with 17 seconds remaining on two free throws by
Brandon Ford. The Tigers (6-19, 2-9 MEAC) failed to score on the ensuing possession, but Norsworthy missed the front end of a one and one. The Bison fouled and sent Javaris Jenkins to the line with three seconds. He made the first and missed the second but Savannah State was able to get possession with just two ticks on the clock.
Savannah State missed a three-point attempt as the buzzer sounded and Howard escaped with the win.
"At this point in the season, we will take them as we get them," said a relieved Howard head coach
Kevin Nickelberry. "It's about surviving and moving on. It wasn't pretty, but we will take it."
Carlton, rebounded from a sub-par performance in the loss at Maryland Eastern Shore to lead all scorers with 16 points, nine coming in the second half. At one point, he personally kept the Bison in it, tallying seven of his team's nine points when they were hard to come by.
"I talked to JC and J-Byrd on focusing on getting the ball to the basket and not being concerned about the three point shot," said Nickelberry. "Howard was 27 of 36 from the free throw line. Daniel and Carlton combined for 16 of 20 from the charity stripe."
Daniel, who scored a career low in the loss to UMES, rebounded as well, finishing with 15 points. The 5-11 sophomore guard from Hampton, VA, made history, scoring his 1000
th point at 6:40 mark of the first half, thus becoming the first male player in school history to accomplish the feat in his second season.
"It is a great honor to accomplish this and even more special because we pulled out the win," said Daniel, who now has 1,007 points and counting. "When you achieve something like this, it is more than just you as a player. It is the teammates and the coaching staff and their support. It lets me know that I made the right decision."
With James "JT" Miller saddled with foul redouble, Ford, a 6-2 red-shirt junior guard, played a huge role off the bench, scoring all seven of his points after intermission, with five coming from the free throw line.
The Bison defense, which allowed the hosts to shoot 43 percent from the field in the first stanza, tightened up in the second and forced Savannah State in a 7 of 21 shooting effort for 33 percent and only one of seven from beyond the arc.
Marcel Boyd helped the cause with three blocked shots while forcing close in missed by the Tigers. The Bison also collected a season-high 16 steals.
"I was not happy with the way we played defense in the first half," said Nickelberry. "We made some adjustments and did a much better job in the second half."
Added Daniel, "We made a strong effort to take away some of the things that they had success with in the first half. Offensively, we did what we had to do to get the win."
The Tigers, who substitute liberally and spread out the scoring among nine players, were led by Hikeem Champaigne, who had eight off the bench and Alante Fenner, who tallied seven. No Tiger reached double figures.
NEXT UP: The Bison will look to extend their streak when they travel to Orangeburg, SC to take on the Bulldogs of South Carolina State on Monday at 7:30 pm.
