Men's Basketball | 1/5/2018 1:54:00 PM

WASHINGTON (January 5, 2018) – Coach Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University Men's Basketball team return home for two big tests versus Bethune-Cookman (Jan. 6) and Hampton (Jan. 9). Saturday's contest begins at 6 p.m. and moved to Trinity Washington University while Monday's clash starts 7:30 p.m.

Fans can follow all the action via live video.
 
MATCHUP PREVIEW
 
HOWARD
 
HU (3-14, 0-1 MEAC) looks to bounce back after a tough loss at Florida A&M, 84-76. Freshman RJ Cole (21.6 ppg) and sophomore Charles Williams (18.4 ppg) account for nearly 60 percent of the team's scoring. Tuesday (Jan. 2), the New Jersey native claimed his sixth MEAC Rookie of the Week award after producing 22 points and five assists at Hawai'i.
 
"This weekend will be a test for us," said Nickelberry. "I'm confident our guys will respond and go out and compete for 40 minutes. In league play, it comes down to which team creates runs and gets stops so we will be focused on improving in those areas in a short turnaround for both teams."
 
BETHUNE-COOKMAN
 
Entering this week, BCU (6-9, 1-0 MEAC) leads the conference in offensive rebounds (13.58), blocks (57), and free throw attempts (260). Amongst the NCAA, the Wildcats are 19th in offensive boards, 32nd in blocks, and 31st in free throw attempts.
 
"Bethune-Cookman is a veteran team that plays extremely hard," Nickelberry stated. "They have 11 players that are juniors and seniors, so we will have to keep our composure, especially since the majority of the time we play three freshmen and a sophomore on the floor."
 
Senior Brandon Tabb is fifth nationally and leads the league at the charity stripe, converting 95.3-percent of his free throw attempts, and has only missed twice this season.
 
"This will be a difficult team to prepare for since they have a new coach and most of their players are transfers and juco kids," Nickelberry continued. "They have played a lot of players this year, so we will have to be ready to make some in-game adjustments ."
 
HAMPTON
 
Before Monday's game, the Pirates (5-10) face Maryland Eastern Shore Saturday in Princess Anne, Md. Hampton looks to break its two-game skid before returning home to host Delaware State (Jan. 12). Sophomore Jermaine Morrow leads the squad in scoring (18.7 ppg), followed by Kalin Fisher with 11.7 points per contest.
 
"Since I've been here, the Hampton game has always been a highly competitive game that brings out the best in both teams," Nickelberry added. "This is one of the few games that you won't have to motivate your team to get up for and I'm sure they will be motivated as well."
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
Wednesday (Jan. 3), the Bison came up short in their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener against Florida A&M, 84-75, inside the Al Lawson Center.
 
Offensively, the Bison 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
Howard goes south for a pair of MEAC contests against South Carolina State (Jan. 13) and Savannah State (Jan. 15).
 
Saturday's showdown starts 4 p.m. while Monday night's clash begins 8 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.