TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 3, 2018) – Coach Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University Men's Basketball team came up short in their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener against Florida A&M (FAMU), 84-75, inside the Al Lawson Center.
 
Offensively, the Bison (3-14, 0-1 MEAC) shot 51-percent (26-of-51) from the floor, including 50-percent (9-of-18) from downtown.
 
Despite a great shooting night, Howard was unable to keep the Rattlers off the charity stripe and paint. FAMU scored 28 points in the paint while shooting nearly 79-percent (22-of-28) from the foul line.
 
"I felt our first stance defense was good, but our inability to keep them off the offensive glass proved to be problematic towards the outcome," Nickelberry stated. "This young group will learn in league play that when you have a double-digit lead that other teams will make a run. To win on the road, you must hold them to one shot and get good shots to win."
 
Freshman RJ Cole registered a game-high 30 points, including 23 after intermission. The New Jersey native also racked up seven dimes (game-high) and three boards in 40 minutes of action.
 
Cole gave the Bison a 10-point advantage after a layup with 17:03 remaining, 48-38. Within the next five minutes, FAMU erased a 14-point deficit and took their first lead of the game after a layup from Desmond Williams, 52-50.
 
Moments later, another layup from Cole tied the contest, 52-52, but a trey ball from Florida A&M's Elijah Mayes put the Rattlers up again, 55-52. From that point on, FAMU never relinquished the lead for the final 12 minutes.
 
Sophomore Charles Williams started hot, scoring 13 of his 21 points before the break. Newcomer Kyle Foster was inserted in the starting lineup for the second time this season and finished with 11 points on 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
 
In the first half, HU jumped out to a 14-point advantage after a long ball from Foster, 26-12, at the 11:51 mark. FAMU fought back and went on a 11-2 run to slice the margin down to five, 28-23, but Howard responded with an 11-5 spurt to balloon the lead back to double digits, 39-28.
 
In the waning moments before intermission, Florida A&M made another charge and scored six unanswered to make HU's lead only five at the break, 39-34.
 
FAMU (2-15, 1-0 MEAC) scored 84 points on 44-percent (28-of-64) shooting, including 55-percent (18-of-33) after halftime. Williams produced a double-double with a team-high 25 points and 12 rebounds while Mayes netted 22 points. Marcus Barham and Nick Severado tallied 10 points apiece in the victory.
 
"We played a solid first half and had the lead because we did a very good job on [Desmond] Williams and [Marcus] Barham," said Nickelberry. "Second half, those two, especially Williams, was able to get going and change the tempo of the game."
 
HU comes home where they will host a pair of contests inside The Burr.
 
Saturday (Jan. 6), the Bison take on Bethune-Cookman on Community Day. The action starts 4 p.m.
 
Monday (Jan. 8), Howard continues its rivalry with Hampton in the Battle of the Real HU. Game-time is slated for 7:30 p.m. and Monday's promotion is White Out.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.