WASHINGTON (January 17, 2019) – Howard University men's basketball team look to get back on track when they travel to Orangeburg, S.C. where the South Carolina State Bulldogs await. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. inside the Smith-Hammond-Middleton (S-H-M) Center.
 
Fans can follow all the action at www.SCSUAthletics.com.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
Tuesday (Jan. 15), the Bison suffered a tough home loss against conference rival Morgan State, 89-86, inside the Burr.
 
Junior Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) had a game-high 25 points and seven boards while redshirt junior Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) added 24 points and five rebounds.
 
Second-year forward Zion Cousins (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had his best all-around perform, racking up a career-high 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, whereas sophomore RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) netted 12 points and six boards in the loss.
 
MATCHUP PREVIEW
 
HOWARD
 
Howard (7-11, 1-3 MEAC) looks to rebound after a tough home loss versus Morgan State Tuesday (Jan. 15). With a fourth of league play in the books, head coach Kevin Nickelberry understands that the squad must move on.
 
"We have to get this last loss out of our system," said Nickelberry. "It was tough, but we have other games to play. We must respond [at South Carolina State]."
 
Although the 1-3 start in conference play was not envisioned, HU must utilize the "one game at a time" mentality in order to get back into the title race.
 
"We must focus on South Carolina State," Nickelberry continued. "We can't worry about what happened before or what's coming up next. We must respond to the challenge Saturday night."
 
Howard's three-headed trio of Cole, Lott, and Williams will spearhead the attack. Collectively, HU leads the league in scoring (80.2 ppg) with those three Bison combining for 54 ppg (Cole, 20.6 ppg; Williams, 18.9 ppg; Lott, 14.5 ppg).
 
"We must rely on our leaders," Nickelberry concluded. "It comes down to getting stops and making shots. We have to rise to the challenge."
 
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
 
After a tough nonconference schedule, the Bulldogs (4-15, 2-1 MEAC) enter Saturday's showdown with back-to-back victories against Morgan State, 72-68, and Coppin State, 70-68.
 
Junior Damni Applewhite leads the club in scoring (17.5 ppg), which third in the league behind Cole and Williams. The North Carolina native also grabs 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 52-percent (121-of-233) from the floor.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
Monday (Jan. 21), the Bison host Harvard on Martin Luther King Day. Game-time is slated for 1 p.m. inside The Burr.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.