WASHINGTON (January 12, 2019) – On a cold, wintery Saturday afternoon, Coach Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University men's basketball team came up short against Bethune-Cookman (B-CU), 71-63, inside Burr Gymnasium.
 
The Bison (7-10, 1-2 MEAC) were led by sophomore guard RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) with a team-high 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
 
Howard struggled finding its rhythm in the first half, shooting only 24-percent (11-of-45), but dominated the offensive glass with 14 boards.
 
"We really dominated the offensive glass to start the game," Nickelberry stated after the game. "But it's tough when you're dominate on the glass and you don't really get anything from it. We just got to keep plugging away, [the] guys played with effort and energy."
 
Both squads went back and forth for the first half, but the Wildcats took a slight lead at the break, 36-30.
 
A dunk by B-CU's Mark Gordon gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the game, 55-45, with 10:03 to play in regulation.
 
HU made a run and chipped away at the margin. Sophomore forward Zion Cousins (Upper Marlboro, Md.) made a layup with 8:30 to play that pulled the Bison within four, 55-51.
 
Moments later, Cole's layup sliced the deficit down to one, 56-55, with more than seven minutes remaining.
 
After trailing the entire second half, redshirt junior Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) gave HU its first lead of the half by connecting on a jumper, 61-60.
 
Despite the comeback, Bethune-Cookman would regain the upper hand after B-CU's Wali Parks scored off a turnover, 62-61. From that point, Bethune-Cookman closed the game on an 11-3 run.
 
"We must trust each other in a one-point game [down the stretch]," Nickelberry added. "We must work on making the extra passes, in which we'll get better."
 
Lott finished with 14 points and four rebounds while Cousins added 12 rebounds and six points. Freshman Akuwovo Ogheneyole (Delta State, Nigeria) also grabbed 12 boards in the loss.
 
The Wildcats (6-10, 2-1 MEAC) were led by Gordon with a game-high 22 points and four rebounds. Cletrell Pope added a double-double, 13 points and 12 boards, while Parks finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
 
Additionally, Bethune-Cookman outrebounded the Bison, 49-41.
 
"I give them some credit," Nickelberry ended. "[Cletrell] Pope, [Shawntrez] Davis and [Soufiyane] Diakite are some big bodies down there. We got to get back to the drawing board, keep playing with that aggressiveness."
 
The Bison look to bounce back when they host DMV rival Morgan State Monday (Jan. 14). Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.