Washington, DC---Howard University men's basketball team fell behind early, then fought its way all the way to a workable range before dropping a hard-fought 85-72 decision to Georgetown in a non-conference men's game at the Verizon Center before 5,258.
Playing without their leading scorer James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III and his 27 points per game as well as their back-up, Kai Tease, the Bison crumbled under the Hoyas trapping full-court pressure and fell behind 19-2 to start the game. Georgetown, which is very long and has a great deal of height, utilized it to its advantage and did not allow Howard (0-5) to get into any kind of rhythm.
"I thought this game was defined by first four to six minutes of the game." said Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "They got up big on us. Going into the game, we worked on the press break. We knew they were going to press us. Not having a point guard on the floor forced us to learn on the fly. We had to make some adjustments by bringing some more guys up the floor. Once we figured out their press, we were able to get the ball to [James] Miller and (Damon) Collins in transition."
Following some adjustments and the inspired play of red-shirt junior guard James "JT" Miller and senior guard Damon Collins, Howard scrapped its way back in the game. Miller, who has emerged as the go-to player for the Bison in Daniel's absence, scored on an array of shots, ranging from a monster dunk to some strong moves in traffic and a three pointer for good measure. He led all scorers with 16 while Collins added nine as Howard cut the deficit to 45-35 at the half.
Georgetown (3-4) threatened to take control to start the second half, getting the first four points to take a 49-35 lead. But these resilient Bison refused to wilt as senior forward Solomon "Solo" Mangham got hot, tallying all 13 of his points after intermission.
However, each time the Bison would get close, the Hoyas would answer with a three pointer that would take the lead back to 11-13 points. Georgetown shot 13 for 28 from beyond the arc while the Bison made 4 of 12.
With Mangham, freshman guard Charles "CJ" Williams and Miller combining for six point during a 6-2 run, Howard was able cut in the deficit and get it to 69-61 at the 6:23 mark. Following a timeout, Georgetown countered with a 14-4 run that took the lead back to 83-65 with under two minutes remaining and all but put the game away.
"I am just proud of our team," said Miller, who led all scorers with 30 points and is coming off a 25-point effort against Gardner Webb. "We could have quit and used excuses, but we fought until the end. We will grow from this."
In the statistics column, the Bison had the advantage in points in the paint (36-24) in points off turnovers and in fast break points. But the game may have been won by the bench. Georgetown easily
won that battle, outscoring their counterpoints, 25-11 with Tre Campbell and Marcus Derrickson accounting for 20 of them combining for 6 of 12.
In addition to playing without Daniel, who Coach Nickelberry says will be out for at least another two weeks, Howard was without the services of senior center Marcel Boyd, who injured his knee and missed the last 18 minutes of the second quarter. He finished with 3 points and 6 rebounds in 25 minutes of play.
"We had plenty of chances to cut deeper into the deficit, but we made some mistakes and missed some free throws that would have made a difference. That is something we will correct and with time we will grow from this experience."
Miller led all scorers with 30, Mangham had all of his 13 in the second stanza and Collins contributed 11.
Georgetown was led by Rodney Pryor with 26, Akoy Agau and LJ Peak, with 14 each and Campbell with 12 off the bench.
NEXT UP: Howard hosts American University in its home opener next Saturday in Burr Gymnasium at 4 pm. The Hoyas hosts Coppin State on Wednesday at 7 pm.
