Washington, DC—James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III scored a team-high 22 points, Damon Collins added 17 and Keon Hill tallied a career-high 14 points but it was not enough to offset the scoring of Rodney Hatter, who poured in a game-high 27 points and Matt Morgan, who added 19 as Cornell held off Howard University, 84-81 in a non-conference men's game at Burr Gymnasium.
           
"We talked about controlling their two guards and not letting them hurt us in transition," said Howard Coach Kevin Nickelberry.  "We did not do a good job and we allowed them to shoot over 60 percent by getting to the basket.  We are a defensive team and we need to fix that."      
           
The Bison (7-9) appeared to be in good shape when Daniel and Hill fueled a rally midway through the first half that gave Howard its biggest lead at 36-25 with 4:25 left before the half.
           
Howard would go on to keep the lead at 10 twice before Hatter and Morgan fueled an 11-2 run that cut the deficit to 42-41 at intermission.
           
"That was probably the turning point in the game," noted Nickelberry.
           
Through the first five minutes, the two teams took turns taking brief leads until Hatter, Morgan, Desmond Fleming and Darryl Smith combined to score just enough to keep the hosts at bay.
           
Howard had numerous opportunities, but each time it would get it down to a workable margin, the Big Red (7-7) would have an answer.
           
"What it all boils down to is making shots," said Nickelberry.  "They made theirs and we didn't."

Hatter, who came into the game averaging 19 points per game, weaved and crafted his way to 10 of 17 from the field. 
           
With Cornell focusing its defensive efforts on stopping Daniel, the nation's leading scorer at 29 points per game coming into the game, Collins made them pay by scoring 12 of his 17 in the second stanza.  The 6-5 junior from Dallas, Tex. recorded a double double with 10 rebounds.  He also had 3 assists and 3 steals.
           
Equally important was the contribution of Hill, who connected on 5 of 10 from the field, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
           
Howard put on a frantic rally at the end and cut the deficit to three at 84-81 with 1.6 seconds remaining and possession.  But a shot attempt by Hill was blocked as the buzzer sounded and the Big Red escaped with the victory.
           
Daniel, the nation's leading scorer at 29 points per game, finished with 22 on 6 of 16 shooting from the field.  The 5-11 junior from Hampton, VA dealt out six assists.
           
Hatter led all scorers with 27, Morgan with 19, Darryl Smith 10 and David Onuorah with seven points and 11 rebounds.

NEXT UP: The Bison host Coppin State on Saturday at 4 pm in Burr Gymnasium.