Box Score WASHINGTON (December 4, 2017) – Coach Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University Men's Basketball team dropped its home contest against the University of Penn, 81-68, inside Burr Gymnasium.
 
Despite only shooting 36-percent (23-of-64) from the field, HU (1-8) shot 77-percent (17-of-22) at the charity stripe. Additionally, the Bison were unable to keep Penn off the glass as they were outrebounded, 50-36.
 
"Basketball is about making shots and getting stops," said Nickelberry. "We were able to get stops early from deflections and steals, which led to us having a lead. We couldn't control the glass, which has been a problem all year."
 
Freshman RJ Cole and sophomore Charles Williams combined for 44 points. Cole had a team-high 24 points, including three trey balls, while Williams netted 20 points and eight boards in the loss.
 
"We just couldn't find a third scorer tonight, which put a lot of pressure on [RJ] Cole and [Charles] Williams," Nickelberry continued. "I liked our energy early, but it was tough for us to sustain against a big and physical team like Penn."
 
Newcomer Zion Cousins capitalized on a three-point play and trimmed the deficit down to four, 41-37, until Penn scored 19 unanswered and took a commanding 20-point advantage with 11:19 remaining.
 
HU gradually chipped away at the deficit, but the Quakers kept Howard at bay. With under four minutes left, Cousins made a layup and sliced the margin down to single-digits, 70-61, but Penn scored key buckets down the stretch.
 
Cousins racked up his second double-double of the season, posting 11 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort.
 
Wood drilled a trey ball and cut HU's lead down to four, 13-9, until Howard went on a 6-1 run and held a nine-point advantage, 19-10, with 9:35 remaining in the first half.
 
More than four minutes before intermission, freshman Kyle Foster made two freebies and gave the Bison a double-digit lead, 25-14. Penn responded with a 14-3 spurt and tied the contest after layup from AJ Brodeur.
 
In the final two minutes, Penn took their first lead since the opening minute and held a 32-28 advantage at the break.
 
For Penn (6-4), they shot a respectable 40-percent (27-of-68) from the floor, including 11 long balls. Off the bench, Wood registered a game-high 26 points on 6-of-12 shooting from downtown while Ryan Betley earned a double-double, 12 boards and 11 points, in the victory.
 
Thursday (Dec. 7), Howard faces crosstown foe Georgetown inside the Capital One Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on FS1.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.