WASHINGTON (December 7, 2018) – Coach
Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University Men's Basketball team return to Burr Gymnasium where they will face crosstown rival American (AU). Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
Fans can follow all the action via
live stats.
LAST TIMEOUT
Tuesday (Dec. 4), the Bison fell on the road at Appalachian State, 100-86, inside the Holmes Center.
Four Bison reached double figures, led by Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason First-Team selections junior
Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) and sophomore guard
RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) with a team-leading 19 points apiece.
Redshirt junior
Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) added 16 points on 50-percent shooting (7-of-14) while newcomer
Andre Toure (Paris, France) produced a season-best 14 points before fouling out.
MATCHUP PREVIEW
Saturday's showdown will be the 22
nd meeting between Howard and American with the Eagles leading the all-time series, 16-5.
Last season, the Bison dropped its crosstown matchup at AU, 74-63, inside Bender Arena. Williams and Cole combined for 33 points while forward
Zion Cousins (Upper Marlboro, Md.) provided a team-best 10 boards and six points in 35 minutes of action.
HOWARD
HU (5-3) enters Saturday looking to remain unbeaten inside The Burr (3-0). For the Bison to pickup a win, they will have to stay out of foul trouble against their crosstown rival.
"This isn't a game I will have a problem getting the guys ready to play," Nickelberry commented. "But we have to stay out of foul trouble if we're going to win."
On the season, Howard puts up 88.4 points-per-game (ppg), which is 11
th in the country. At home, the Bison register 107 ppg.
Howard is led by its three-headed monster of Cole, Williams, and Lott. Cole leads the team in scoring (21.5 ppg), followed by Williams at 20.1 ppg. Lott records a shade under 15 ppg.
Furthermore, Cole is only 46 points away from reaching the 1,000-point club.
AMERICAN
AU (5-2) is off to a solid start after finishing 6-24 overall a year ago. Currently, the Eagles are 3-1 away from Bender Arena with their lone loss coming at Northwestern, 63-51.
"They're better," said Nickelberry. "But we're better too. We're at home and it's a payback game. Last season, they beat us at their place and this year we owe them."
American has three Eagles averaging double-figures: Sa'eed Nelson (18.7 ppg); Sam Iorio (14.7 ppg); and Mark Gasperini (10.9 ppg).
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Howard stays in the D.C. area for another crosstown matchup against George Washington. Game-time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
