JONESBORO, Ark. (November 20, 2017) – Coach Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University Men's Basketball team fell on the road at Arkansas State (ASU), 92-78, inside the First National Bank Arena. Guards Charles Williams and RJ Cole led the Bison attack, combining for 52 points in the loss.
 
Williams tallied a season-high 30 points, including a career-best six trey balls, while Cole netted 22 points after going a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
 
ASU, a 20-win squad from a year ago with five returning letterwinners, forced multiple Bison into foul trouble while outrebounding HU, 40-27.
 
"Arkansas State poised a big challenge for us on the road," Nickelberry stated. "Their experience and how they pushed the tempo for 40 minutes. Our young group battled, but ultimately, the foul disparity in the first half took some of our aggressiveness away in the second half."
 
HU had their best offensive performance of the season, scoring a season-high 78 points on 44-percent (28-of-63) from the floor, also a season-best.
 
"Sometimes, you can play well in spurts and still come up short," Nickelberry added. "I think that was the case tonight. They were able to throw a lot of athletic bodies and expose our lack of depth in the frontcourt. We just have to keep working until we get a couple guys back."
 
ASU begin the second half on a 20-8 run and took a commanding 16-point advantage after a long ball from Rashad Lindsey, 66-50.
 
HU fought back and sliced the deficit down to single-digits after a trey ball from Williams at the 11:41 mark, 66-57.
 
Howard made their final push as they cut the margin down to four after Cole's jumper, 76-72, but ASU regained their momentum and finished the game on a 16-6 spurt.
 
In his first career start, freshman Zion Cousins registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards in a losing effort.
 
In transition, Williams connected on a long ball and gave the Bison its first lead of the game early, 8-7. The Virginia native's hot streak continued as he extended the advantage to five with another three-pointer, 13-8, but the Red Wolves answered with a quick 6-0 spurt to reclaimed the lead, 14-13.
 
ASU's Marquis Eaton made a pair of free throws and increased the margin to seven, 22-15, with 11:42 remaining in the first half. Howard responded with a 14-1 run and regained the advantage after a trey ball from Williams, 29-23.
 
Arkansas State refused to go away as they tied the contest at the 6:22 mark. Both squads went back-and-forth until the Red Wolves scored twice to close out the first half, 46-42.
 
For Arkansas State (2-2), they eclipsed 53-percent from the field, including 44-percent from downtown. Ty Cockfield led the way with a team-best 25 points, seven rebounds, and three dimes in the victory.
 
Wednesday, the Bison conclude its four-game road swing in Tampa, Fla. where the South Florida Bulls await. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.