JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (December 18, 2017) – Coach Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University Men's Basketball team fell short at Jacksonville State (JSU), 62-60, inside the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
HU (2-11) went toe-to-toe with the reigning Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Champions, having an opportunity to win at the end.
 
"The guys really responded," Nickelberry stated. "Our guys got down in this game, but they showed resiliency. It started with rebounding, playing defense, and showing toughness, that's what we did tonight."
 
Overall, the club shot under 40-percent (22-of-56); however, eclipsed 50-percent (10-of-20) from downtown. Additionally, the Bison outrebounded Jacksonville State, 37-31; however, the biggest difference came at the free throw line. JSU went to the charity stripe 12 more times while shooting 81-percent (17-of-21).
 
Freshman RJ Cole led all scorers with 27 points on 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. The New Jersey product also racked up seven dimes and three steals in 40 minutes of action.
 
After trailing at intermission, 27-23, JSU opened the second half on a 19-4 run and took a double-digit lead with more than 14 minutes remaining, 42-31.
 
Within the next five minutes, Howard gradually chipped away at the deficit. At the 8:41 mark, Cole connected on a trey ball and gave the Bison a one-point advantage, 49-48.
 
Both squads went back-and-forth in the waning moments. Cole split a pair of freebies and put HU ahead, 60-59, with 3:03 left. Within 30 seconds, JSU's Malcolm Drumwright made a jumper in the paint and gave Jacksonville State the lead back, 61-60.
 
After Drumwright went 1-of-2 from the foul line, Howard had an opportunity to steal one on the road, but the game-winning three-pointer missed long.
 
Sophomore Charles Williams and freshman Kyle Foster each finished with 11 points while newcomer Zion Cousins grabbed a game-high eight boards in a losing effort.
 
"We want to focus on getting better," Nickelberry continued. "We have a really young team and these guys compete. I like what I saw out of [Kyle] Foster tonight and obviously [RJ] Cole was impressive. We played four or five big guys tonight. Michael Obindu got in there and played well. We're just trying to get better."
 
Obindu drilled a jumper and put HU ahead by six, 14-8, midway through the first half. JSU fought back and tied the contest until Cole made a trey ball at the 7:09 mark, 17-14.
 
Jacksonville State continued to battle, taking the lead on multiple occasions. In the final four minutes before halftime, Williams scored HU's final seven points, including a three-point going into the break, 27-23.
 
For JSU (9-3), they shot a respectable 42-percent (21-of-50) from the floor. Jason Burnell and Ashton Spears registered 14 points apiece in the victory.
 
HU continues its road swing at the Weststar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas. Howard begins the four-squad tourney against the host team, UTEP, on Thursday (Dec. 21). Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (MT).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.