MUNCIE, Ind. (December 20, 2018) – Howard University Men's Basketball team was unable to slow down Ball State's hot shooting as they fell on the road, 98-71, after the Cardinals shot nearly 59-percent (34-of-58) on the night.
 
With the loss, HU dropped to .500 (6-6) for the first time this season.
 
"They're a good team," said Howard Men's Basketball head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "It's a tough atmosphere to play. By the time we made a run, it was too late."
 
Howard entered Thursday's contest shorthanded with redshirt junior Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) and newcomer Andre Toure (Paris, France) out due to injuries.
 
Despite the disadvantage, HU battled after Ball State opened the contest on a 15-4 spurt. Midway through the first period, Howard took its first lead after a layup from freshman center Princewill Anosike (Largos, Nigeria), 25-24.
 
After second-year guard RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) drilled a trey ball and gave Howard a four-point advantage with under 10 minutes remaining before intermission, the fouls began to accumulate; thus, forcing the Bison to go into its shorthanded bench.
 
"They jumped on us early," Coach Nickelberry stated. "We came back and took the lead, but the foul troubles started piling up. We were missing two guys and we had to go to our bench early so it caught up with us."

Ball State (8-4) closed out the first half on a 28-12 run and held a 52-40 lead at the break.
 
With several big men in foul trouble, the Cardinals took advantage and outscored HU in the paint, 32-10.
 
"The fouls made us tentative inside the post," Coach Nickelberry continued. "They had 32 points in the paint. In order to win on the road, you must take away either the paint or the three [pointer], but they were able to get both tonight. We must do a better job in closing out the shooters."
 
From beyond the arc, Ball State drilled 14 three-pointers while shooting over 48-percent (14-of-29).
 
Four Bison reached double-figures, led by Cole and junior guard Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.). Cole had 11 points and eight dimes while Williams scored 14 points in a losing effort.
 
Howard recorded 41 points off the bench, led by guards Raymond Bethea, Jr. (Atlantic City, N.J.) and Kyle Foster (Hampton, Va.). Bethea, Jr. registered a career-high 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from downtown while Foster netted 11 points in the loss.
 
Anosike grabbed a team-leading nine boards with eight points and a block.
 
"It's great to see them play well," Coach Nickelberry on his young bench. "It's a long season and we need them to play the same way when we play Hampton Saturday."
 
Saturday (Dec. 22), Coach Nickelberry and the Bison renew its longtime rivalry with Hampton in the next chapter of the Battle of the Real HU. Game-time is set for 5 p.m. inside the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.