Norfolk, VA---Charles "CJ" Williams scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the first half, but it the scoring of Zoran Talley's 14 second half points that proved to be the difference as Old Dominion University pulled away to a 65-46 win over Howard in a non-conference men's game. 

The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the Bison (3-9), who were again shorthanded and undermanned. Already down to nine players in uniform, Howard suffered yet another blow when senior point guard Damon Collins, the team's leader in assists and third in scoring, was injured in the layup drills and had to sit out. 

Still, the Bison showed resiliency and battled the Monarchs (7-4) in a grind-it-out first half as no one led by more than seven. Brandon Stith led ODU with 10 points while Williams tallied 15 on 3 of 4 shooting from the three-point line. The Monarchs led 29-24 at intermission. 

The Bison continued to battle and stayed close on the scoring of junior guard Dalique Mingo, who tallied nine of his 10 points after intermission. 

""That's who we are; there are no excuses," said Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry, alluding to the team's mounting injury problems. "We will continue to fight through adversity. We had a tough one tonight and we have another tough test Tuesday against VCU. I was pleased with our fight tonight." 

With the Bison in foul trouble and a short bench, the Monarchs began to pull away as Talley scored by connecting 7 of the 10 shots he took. The Bison meanwhile, went cold and failed to score during a seven-minute stretch, allowing ODU to flex and reel off an 8-0 run. 

Using a combination of different players on Williams, it proved to be effective as made only one shot. He still connected on 50 percent (6 of 12) and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. 

"Williams hit some tough shots," said ODU head coach Jeff Jones. "The players were looking at me when he hit a couple of those tough shots in the first half. I told them to keep playing him tough and we were able to contain him better in the second half." 

"They forced him to into tough shots in the second half," said Nickelberry. "I don't think they did too much on him, just forced him into some tough shots." 

Talley's hit on 9 of 14 from the field for a career-high 18 points. Brandan Stith recorded a double double of 12 points and 12 rebounds while Ahmad Caver assisted on 9 baskets. 

"Number 24 (Talley) was on the scouting report," said Nickelberry. "He may have come off the bench, but he is a great player. He definitely had a strong impact on the game tonight." Talley had missed the past five games. 

NEXT UP: The Bison come back to the Virginia area where they will play the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth on Tuesday at 7 pm.