ORANGEBURG, S.C. (January 19, 2019) – Sophomore RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) and redshirt junior Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) combined for 45 points and lifted the Howard University men's basketball team past South Carolina State (SCSU) in overtime, 71-67, inside the Smith-Hammond-Middleton (S-H-M) Memorial Center.
 
With the victory, HU improved to 8-11 (2-3 MEAC) while snapping its brief two-game slide.
 
Cole led the way with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from long range. Lott added 19 points and six boards in the win.
 
"They did what was needed [to win]," said Howard Men's Basketball head coach Kevin Nickelberry on Cole and Lott.  "They made shots and that's what we needed. I give those guys all the credit."
 
Howard also dominated the paint, outscoring the Bulldogs, 34-22.
 
With more than 12 minutes remaining, freshman Raymond Bethea, Jr. (Atlantic City, N.J.) found classmate Andre Toure (Paris, France) for a two-handed slam that give HU a 15-point cushion, 47-32.
 
SCSU gradually chipped away at the deficit and sent the contest into OT after a three-point play from Damni Applewhite, 57-57.
 
"We played hard and got a [big] lead early," Nickelberry stated. "South Carolina State fought back, but these guys been here before from the last game. Once we got the lead in overtime, we were able to get stops."
 
South Carolina took the early advantage in overtime after a long ball from Jahmari Etienne, 60-59, but Cole answered with a trey ball of his own that would put Howard ahead for good.
 
In OT, the Bison shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the field while making 83-percent (5-of-6) from the charity stripe. On the other side, South Carolina State was held to 38-percent (3-of-8) from the floor in the extra period.
 
"It was a team effort defensively," Nickelberry continued. "To stop [Damani] Applewhite, it has to be a team effort. Our goal was to keep them under 60 and they only scored 57 at the end of regulation. I am proud of the defensive effort."
 
HU scored 16 points off 14 Bulldog turnovers.
 
SCSU (4-16, 2-2 MEAC) shot only 35-percent (21-of-60) on the day, but Applewhite connected on all six of his attempts while sinking 14 freebies at the foul line. Applewhite notched a double-double with 26 points and 17 boards (game-high) in the loss.
 
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.