Cambridge, MA—The struggling Howard University men's basketball team faces yet another strong opponent when it takes on the Crimson of Harvard University on Friday at 7 pm.
The Bison (3-10) dropped their second straight to VCU on Tuesday in Richmond, VA. In that game, the Rams bolted out to a big early lead and never looked back in overwhelming Howard 75-48 before a sellout crowd.
The Bison have had to play with a number of reserves and it begins to show, particularly in the second half when fatigue sets in on players who are not accustomed to logging 30 or more minutes. Freshman guard Charles "CJ" Williams and senior forward Solomon "Solo" Mangham have been the constants, but their productivity diminishes with increased playing time.
Williams, at times, has carried the offensive load, leading the team in scoring as he has averaged 20 points in the past six games, five of which he was the scoring leader. The 6-5 freshman from Richmond, VA has been named MEAC Rookie of the Week on consecutive weeks and has moved up to be the team's second-leading scorer.
Mangham, who is now third on the team in scoring and the leader in rebounding, has faltered a bit the past two games, failing to reach double figures after recording double doubles in four of the previous six games.
Senior point guard Damon Collins had been supplying some much-needed offense solid all-around play from the point guard position before he suffered a foot injury, causing him to miss the last two games and four of the last five.
Red-shirt senior center Marcel Boyd, a pre-season first team all-MEAC pick who averaged close to a double double last year, injured his foot in the Georgetown game and has not played up to par since then.
That has left it up to reserves, junior guard Dalique Mingo and senior guard Kofi Andoh, to pick up the slack. Both have made some solid contributions at times, but they are not used to starting and at times, they are playing out of position.
On another note, sophomore center Cameron Lewis had his best game against VCU during mop-up time in the second half, collecting 12 points and six rebounds.
"After the last game, we are going to have to use our bench more," said Howard coach Kevin Nickelberry. "We have to rotate more to get players fresh legs for the second half. The problems with our bench's production has been glaring."
Harvard (5-4) is coming off a thrilling 57-56 road win over Houston for its fourth straight win. The Crimson, who defeated the Bison 69-66 last January at Burr, are doing it with defense and balance on offense.
"Harvard is a good team and are especially tough at home," said Nickelberry. "We have to put the last game (75-48 loss at VCU) behind us. We have to do better on our free throw shooting, do a better job defensively and we have to protect the ball."
The Bison open MEAC play on Wednesday when they host Florida A&M at 7:30 pm in Burr.
"This game is important to us as we begin conference play," he noted.
INJURY UPDATE: James "J-Byrd" Daniel's status is still up in the air as to when he will return from the high ankle sprain that has sidelined him all season. James "JT" Miller is at least two weeks away from his return after breaking his hand against Maryland. Collins should be back in the lineup for this game.
Game Notes: /documents/2016/12/30//MBBALL_14.pdf?id=493
