WASHINGTON (December 8, 2018) – Coach Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University Men's Basketball team held on to knock off crosstown rival American (AU), 85-83, inside Burr Gymnasium.
 
With the victory, HU improved to 6-3 overall while the Eagles dropped to 5-3 on the season.
 
Three Bison scored 20 points, led by redshirt junior Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) registered a double-double, 21 points and 10 dimes, while third-year guard Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) added 20 points in the win.
 
"It all came together tonight," said Nickelberry. "RJ [Cole], CJ [Williams], and Chad [Lott] took over and we depended on those guys. They played very well together."
 
Howard attacked the rim at will, scoring 44 points inside the paint while reaching the charity stripe 22 times. Overall, HU shot nearly 58-percent (33-of-57) from the floor, including 50-percent (2-of-4) from beyond the arc.
 
After allowing the Eagles to shoot 53-percent (16-of-30) in the first 20 minutes, HU clamped down defensively and held American to under 35-percent (11-of-32) after intermission.
 
With under a minute remaining, Howard sealed the victory with clutch free throws from Cole, Williams, and sophomore Kyle Foster (Hampton, Va.).
 
Second-year forward Zion Cousins (Upper Marlboro, Md.) made his presence felt off the bench, registering a season-best 12 boards, six points, and four blocks in 24 minutes of action.
 
For AU, they had four Eagles reach double-figures. Sam Iorio recorded a team-high 24 points while Sa'eed Nelson netted 23 points in a losing effort.
 
"We had this game circled on our calendar," Coach Nickelberry stated. "They beat us last year and we knew they were better. They beat some good teams this year, but we also beat some good teams."

Before Saturday's contest, the HU family took a moment of silence to honor long-time public announcer Shellie Bowers, Jr. for his contributions to the university for over the past three decades. This past week, the voice of Bison athletics suddenly passed away.
 
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.