WASHINGTON (January 28, 2019) – Howard University men's basketball team pulled away in the second half and downed Maryland Eastern Shore, 72-57, inside Burr Gymnasium on ESPNU.
 
With the victory, HU moved above .500 (4-3) for the first time in conference play this season while improving to 10-12 overall.
 
With under 15 minutes remaining, Maryland Eastern Shore's Tyler Jones connected on a jumper and sliced HU's advantage to four, 42-38, but Howard went into second gear over the next seven minutes with a 21-8 spurt to put the game away.
 
After intermission, the Bison shot 52-percent (16-of-31) from the floor while holding Maryland Eastern Shore under 38-percent (9-of-24).
 
On the night, HU compiled 14 assists while limiting their turnovers to only seven.
 
"We've been working on sharing the basketball," said Howard men's basketball head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "We locked down on the defensive end and got out in transition."
 
Sophomore guard RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) led the squad with a game-high eight dimes, along with 10 points, three steals and a pair of rebounds. Redshirt senior Jalen Jones (Kinston, N.C.) added four assists off the bench.
 
On the glass, Howard outrebounded the Hawks, 28-21, led by freshman forward Andre Toure (Paris, France) with seven boards.
 
"We did a good job rebounding," Nickelberry continued. "The guys did a great job of team rebounding once Savior [Ogheneyole] left."
 
HU recorded 13 offensive rebounds and scored 10 second chance points.
 
Junior Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) and redshirt junior Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) combined for 41 points on 16-of-28 shooting. Williams had a game-high 21 points, including five trey balls, while Lott netted 20 points and six boards in the victory.
 
For the Hawks (3-20, 1-7 MEAC), Jones led the way with 17 points off the bench. Bryan Urrutia chipped in 13 points, followed by Gabriel Gyamfi with 10.
 
Next up, the Bison host conference-leading Norfolk State Saturday (Feb. 2).
 
"We have to keep it going," Nickelberry concluded. "We'll have a week to practice and prepare for Norfolk State."
 
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. inside The Burr.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.