Baltimore, MD—The Howard University men's basketball team faces a crucial game on Saturday when they take on the Eagles of Coppin State at 4 pm in the Physical Activities Center.

            The Bison (10-14, 4-5 in the MEAC) are in the throes of a four-game losing streak, having lost 68-65 to Hampton University at home on Monday.  Howard needs to get a jump start as the season winds down and it will not be easy.  The key is to finish among the Top 5 seeds for the tournament which gets underway, March 7-12 at the Scope in Norfolk, VA.

            After the game against Coppin State, the Bison faces Maryland Eastern Shore at home, Savannah State, surprising South Carolina State and Florida A&M at home and then close out the season at Norfolk State and Hampton.  Four of those opponents are jockeying for top seeds.

            The Bison had one of the poorest shooting performances in recent weeks in the loss to Hampton.  James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III, the nation's leading scorer at 28 points per game, finished with with a team-high 20 points but he was 6 for 23 from the field and 0 for 10 beyond the arc.  As a whole the team shot 35 percent.

            "We just have to make shots; it's as simple as that," proclaimed Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry.  "We did some good things overall, but we have to be able to put the ball in the basket."

            One area where the Bison have not had trouble is at the free throw line.  As a team, they are shooting over 74 percent, but more importantly, they are 53 of 59 the last two games for almost 90 percent.

            In Coppin State, Howard faces a team that they defeated 72-63 earlier in the season at Burr Gymnasium. 

            The Eagles (5-18, 3-7 in the MEAC), who have dropped four in a row, are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league and had the Bison offbalance in the first half before they rallied in the second half and did a better job defending the arc.

GAME NOTES:  Daniel needs 22 points to move up to second on the all-time scoring list at Howard to Gerald Glover, who scored 1,712.  He needs 35 to become the all-time leader, Aaron Shingler, who holds the record at 1,724 from 1963-67.

NEXT UP: The Bison host UMES on Monday at 7:30 pm at Burr.