Washington, DC---The Howard University put forth a valiant effort against the conference's Number 1 team, rallying from a double digit deficit to take a brief lead, but in the end, the Bison ran out of gas and fell 66-59 to North Carolina Central in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at Burr Gymnasium.
The Bison (7-21, 4-9 in the MEAC) had their two-game win streak snapped while the Eagles (21-6, 12-1 in the MEAC) extended their win streak to 12 games.
Howard, which had lost to NC Central, 74-39 in Durham on January 23, appeared to have another daunting task as they fell behind early and trailed 39-29 at the half. Solomon "Solo" Mangham helped the Bison cause by tallying 11 points in the first frame with teammate Charles "CJ' Williams contributing 8.
The Eagles were able to control the flow by hitting on 7 of 16 three-point attempts.
NCCU threatened to put the game away when they took a 13-point lead five minutes into the second half. That is when the Bison scrapped and clawed their way back in the game. However, each time Howard would cut into the NCCU lead, Dejuan Graf and Patrick Cole would have an answer.
"We made some adjustments at halftime to do a better job defensively on Number 10 (Graf) and Number 11 (Cole)," explained Howard associate head Coach Keith Coutreyer. "We were able to force them to take tougher shots and it help us convert on the offensive end."
That is when senior reserve center Tyler Stone came off the bench to fuel a 9-0 spurt that gave Howard its first lead of the game at 58-56 with 7:14 on the clock. The Bison would have chances to extend the lead on at least three occasions, but the Eagles' defense, which ranks among the best in Division 1 basketball, shut down the Bison and ended the game on a 10-1 run over the last seven minutes.
Cole and Graf took turns getting tough baskets when NCCU needed them, combining for 19 of its 27 second half points.
"We had five opportunities down the stretch," said Coutreyer. "Part of the problem was me in the role that I was in with them adjusting to me in that situation. But we did have chances. You have to convert. It was a one possession game with under four minutes left."
Howard got a double double (16 points, 10 rebounds) from Mangham and 10 off the bench from Stone, who also added eight rebounds and a blocked shot in 24 minutes.
'We switched Tyler's position and because of his talent, he is able to be more effective as a back-up center. It has helped him increase his productivity."
The Eagles got 17 each from Graf and Cole and 11 and 10, respectively from Rashaun Madison and Delvin Dickerson.
"Losses are never good," said Coutreyer. :But we have played two of the top teams in the league in Morgan State and North Carolina Central and we play Norfolk on Saturday. By playing three of the four top teams in our league toug, it has to be a confidence booster for us."
NEXT UP: Howard travels to Norfolk, Va to take on the Spartans of Norfolk State on Saturday at 7:30 pm.
