WASHINGTON (December 29, 2018) – Howard University Men's Basketball team was unable to find its rhythm as they fell to crosstown foe Georgetown (GU), 102-67, inside the Capital One arena.
 
Entering Saturday's showdown, HU was missing several Bison due to injuries, including starters redshirt junior Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) and freshman Andre Toure (Paris, France).
 
"We were coming in shorthanded," said Howard Men's Basketball head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "We started strong with great victories early [in the season], but we've struggled without [Chad] Lott and [Andre] Torre. It's hard to replace their scoring and teams put a lot of pressure on [RJ] Cole and [Charles] Williams."
 
Lott and Toure missed their third consecutive game; thus, putting the scoring load on guards RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) and Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.).
 
Howard's backcourt combined for 52 points, but the team overall only shot 33-percent (25-of-75) on the day.
 
HU jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage, capped off by a three-point play from Cole, but the Bison went into a scoring drought; therefore, giving the Hoyas an opportunity to take the lead and never look back.
 
"We made shots in the beginning of the game," said Cole in the postgame press conference. "But a [scoring] drought hit us, and our defense wasn't unable to stop Georgetown as the game went on."
 
Howard got into foul trouble early and Georgetown capitalized by outrebounding the Bison, 54-37, while scoring 48 points in the paint.
 
"We started out strong, but [we] went to the bench early," Nickelberry continued. "[Zion] Cousins had two fouls early and we had to bring in someone who's not as experienced [off the bench]."
 
Second-year forward Zion Cousins (Upper Marlboro, Md.) finished with eight points and eight boards despite early foul trouble.
 
Senior Justin Cotten (Clinton, Md.) and sophomore Kyle Foster (Hampton, Va.) were also in travel suits, forcing HU to dress only 11 Bison.
 
"I'm not sure how long they're going to be out, but we must figure it out," Nickelberry stated. "We came out early with energy, but we didn't make shots and we didn't get to the free throw line."
 
Howard shot 75-percent (12-of-16) from the charity stripe, led by Cole going a perfect 8-of-8, but the Hoyas doubled HU in free throw attempts and produced 72-percent (23-of-32) at the foul line.
 
GU (10-3) eclipsed 52-percent (36-of-69) on the day, led by Jessie Govan registering a double-double with 23 points (team-high) and 10 boards.
 
"Georgetown was the better team tonight," Nickelberry concluded. "They've gotten a lot better. [Jessie] Govan is a pro and once they got to our bench with foul trouble, they were able to get transition points."
 
Georgetown's Josh Leblanc also notched a double-double (22 points and 11 rebounds) in the victory.
 
With the setback, HU (6-8) dropped its five straight game with league play on the horizon.
 
Cole expressed that in order to compete in MEAC play, they must communicate and work together on the defensive end.
 
"We have to play defense, rebound, and get back [on defense] in transition," Cole added. "Once we figure it out, I think we'll be unstoppable [in conference play]."
 
On Jan. 5, Coach Nickelberry and the Bison host Florida A&M in their league opener. Game-time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
Two nights later (Jan. 7), HU travels to Princess Anne, Md. to face Maryland Eastern Shore. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.