Norfolk, Va---Marcel scored a team-high 15 points and Damon Collins and Charles "CJ" Williams each added 14 to help Howard defeat Morgan State, 68-65 in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament at the Scope.
The Bison (10-23), the Number 11 seed, advance to the semifinal round against Norfolk State, the Number 3 seed on Friday at 8 pm. It is the first time that Howard has advanced this deep in the tournament since it made it to the championship game in 2002.
The Bison, who defeated the Bears in their only meeting of the year at Howard, set the tone early with their tempo of a rugged, physical style that slowed down the Bears. The Bison opened a 10-point lead as Williams and Collins combined for 19 first half points en route to a 40-32 halftime score.
But the Bears (14-16) began to cut into the lead and turned the game into a possession by possession affair. There were six lead changes and three ties over a 10-minute stretch as neither team was able to get any separation.
That is when Boyd took over the game. The 6-10 red-shirt senior center tallied 10 of his points in the second stanza while also being a rim protector and grabbing 10 rebounds for his second double double of the season.
"I had a talk with my roommate Cameron Lewis last night and encouraged me play looser," said Boyd, who moved up to the Number 3 slot among career rebounders with 748. "He said that as a senior, I need to play stronger and have fun and not worry about mistakes."
Just as in the win over Coppin State in the opening round, the Bison won the game at the foul line, converting 10 of 11 and 17 of 20 for the game. Howard scored its last eight point from the foul line to hold off the Bears, who were forced to foul once it became a two-possession game.
"We knew it was going to be a physical match," said Nickelberry. "We were prepared. We wanted to win ugly and impose our will on them. For us, the uglier, the better."
Others contributed as well. Collins scored 14 points grabbed 8 rebounds and recorded 3 assists and 3 steals. Williams garnered 14 points, James "JT" Miller 7 points and 7 rebounds, Mangham 6 points and 7 rebounds and Cameron Lewis with 6 points and 3 rebounds.
Tiwian Kendley led all scorers with 17, Phillip Carr with 13 and 9 rebounds, Martez with 13 and Tyler Streeter with 12.
The Bison move on to face Norfolk State, the Number 3 seed. The two teams met once a couple of weeks ago and the Spartans prevailed by 10.
"Norfolk is a very talented team and they will be playing with a lot of emotion in front of their fans, said Nickelberry. "But we are a veteran team and have been through the wars. We will be ready. This is a great opportunity for our program."
